Title: A stoner dreams Rumi
Product review: Coleman Barks knows no Persian; his poems can thus most charitably be described as inspired by Rumi. As such the book's title gives a false impression.Knowing no Persian either I am in no position to judge these poems against the real Rumi. Compared to other Mystics whom I do understand (like Meister Eckhardt, Jakob Boehme, Hildegard von Bingen) I get a sense that they try to describe the wonder of life, often in the small things, as well as the horror that is equally a part of it. This sense of depth and complexity is lacking in Mr. Barks' poems, they are saccharine in a 'Pop' way and like Pop can become quite grating after a while.On a positive note Coleman Barks has made me become interested in Rumi, so that's a plus, and he relies heavily on the works of Annemarie Schimmel who is indeed outstanding.
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