Tales from the Masnavi

ISBN-13: 9781138152465 / Angielski / Twarda / 2016 / 300 str.

A. J Arberry

Opis

The Masnavi of Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273), a massive poem of some 25,000 rhyming couplets, by common consent ranks among the world's greatest masterpieces of religious literature. The material which makes up the Masnavi is divisible into two different categories: theoretical discussion of the principal themes of Sufi mystical life and doctrine, and stories of fables intended to illustrarte those themes as they arise. This selection of tales is the most accessible introduction to this giant epic for the non-perisan reader.

Spis treści

Introduction; Chapter 1 The lament of the reed-flute is a symbol of the soul’s sorrow at being Part ed from the Divine Beloved; Chapter 2 The king and the sick servant-girl, on the redemptive power of love; Chapter 3 The greengrocer and the parrot, on the dangers of false analogy; Chapter 4 The Jewish king and the Christians, on the peril of consorting with cunning hypocrites; Chapter 5 The lion and the beasts, on the true nature of trust in God; Chapter 6 Solomon and the Angel of Death; Chapter 7 The merchant and his parrot, on dying to live again; Chapter 8 The Bedouin and his wife, on the conflict between reason and passion; Chapter 9 The grammarian and the boatman; Chapter 10 The man who wanted to be tattooed, on the necessity of self-discipline; Chapter 11 The lion, the wolf and the fox, on the three faculties of man; Chapter 12 The man who said, ‘It is I’; Chapter 13 Joseph and the mirror; Chapter 14 Harut and Marut reproved; Chapter 15 The deaf man who visited a sick neighbour; Chapter 16 The Greek and the Chinese artists, on the difference between theologians and mystics; Chapter 17 Muhammad and the vision of Zaid, on concealing the secrets of God; Chapter 18 The fire that consumed Medina, on quenching lust; Chapter 19 Ali and the infidel who spat in his face, an example of chivalry; Chapter 20 The fall of Adam, and the true friend; Chapter 21 Omar and the man who thought he saw the new moon; Chapter 22 The man who stole a snake, on the answer to prayer; Chapter 23 Jesus and the dead bones, the fool’s prayer answered; Chapter 24 The Sufi and his unfaithful servant, on the peril of associating with evil companions; Chapter 25 The king and his falcon, on penitence; Chapter 26 The saint and the halwa, an example of true charity; Chapter 27 The Sufis and the dervish’s ass, on the mortal peril of greed; Chapter 28 The scoundrelly bankrupt and the Kurd, on the same; Chapter 29 The ruined house, on false happiness; Chapter 30 The man who killed his mother, on morti

O autorze

Arthur J. Arberry