Wanderer, Worshipper, Lover of Leaving

"The Sufi poet and mystic, Jelaluddin Rumi, was born in Afghanistan 800 years ago and UNESCO has designated 2007 the 'Year of Rumi'. His poetry is astonishing in its beauty, wisdom, and spiritual depth, and we hear from the pre-eminent translator and promoter of Rumi in the West, Coleman Barks. Included in the program are musical excerpts from 'The Rumi Concert' held in Melbourne in August 2007, and we hear from one of the world's great scholars of Rumi, Dr Zeki Saritoprak."

TheSpiritofThings on ABC Radio National
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I cannot recommend this highly enough. If you are familiar with Rumi, it is a pure delight. If you are not, it is as if to catch a glimpse of one's beloved for the first moment- or rather 54 remarkable minutes. N.B. The podcast will only be accessible for a limited time, after which only a transcription will be available.

All that is left
to us by tradition
is mere words.

It is up to us
to find out what they mean.

ibn al-`Arabi ( أبن عربي), Tarjuman al-Ashwaq

Previously, I've posted Rumi's poem "Quietness", his "lecture" on "The Dream That Must Be Interpreted", another poem "All The Hemispheres" and an interview with Coleman Barks.