Like This - Odes of Rumi

by: Coleman Barks

An intrinsic aspect of Rumi's life and spiritual poetry is his divine friendship with the great Mystic; Shams of Tabriz. Shams and Rumi were kindred spirits, sharing a common mystical bond that transcended ordinary human relationships. As Rumi said of Shams in Ode 3097:

"I won't try to talk about Shams.
Language cannot touch that Presence."

After Shams passing, Rumi began his most creative period of writing poetry and often Rumi would refer to Shams as a way of offering gratitude to the inspiration he received from his friend and teacher . These Odes by Coleman Barks focus on poems in which Rumi mentions or alludes to his spiritual mentor, Shams of Tabriz.

Extracts from introduction to
"Like This" by Coleman Barks -

"These poems are spontaneous unfoldings into a current, and like the best love poems of any tradition they melt into their being drawn, even as they keep a fierce reserve."

"An intensity seals the lips. When water begins to boil, the cook puts a lid on the pot. Rumi’s Silence is that of the chef, who hands you a spoon to let you taste, now that the recipe-reading is over. The Silence becomes an inward communion, an experience beyond any doctrinal description."

The poems in this section are taken from:

Like This - Odes of Rumi

Versions by: Coleman Barks

Republished with permission of the author.