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The Soul Is Here for Its Own Joy (Paperback)

by Robert Bly (Editor)

5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Product details

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: W.W. Norton (Jan 1997)
Language English
ISBN-10: 088001475X
ISBN-13: 978-0880014755
Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 13.2 x 2.3 cm

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 321,399 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover

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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delight! Wonderful, readable spiritual poetry., 12 Jun 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Soul is Here for it'S Own Joy (Hardcover)

Robert Bly has a wonderful knack for finding the best of the most approachable, readable poetry available. If you've never followed his work, I invite you to pick up any of his anthologies for starters: News of the Universe is a good one, also try The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart (it's subtitled "Poems for Men" but it's not really for men only, he features probably more women poets in there than many other anthologies). He continues his winning streak with this book.

I've read or heard Bly recite poems by many of the authors featured in this book. If you are a Bly fan, it's standard fare: Rilke, Kabir, Rumi, Dickinson, Stevens, Machado. It's nice to have it combined in one book- a compact, travel edition, if you will. Plus there are poems from Mirabai that have not been included in any of his books (although there's a small pocket book of her poems that's sadly out of print). There is a whole section entitled God in the Feminine, welcome and refreshing for men and I think very valuable for women seeking her spiritual path, surrounded as we are by masculine images of God.

The book is divided into 10 sections, by theme. Some of the titles are Starting on the Path, Dying to this World, and The Spirit- Who is a Guest of the Soul- Will Never be at Home on this Earth. Preceding each section Bly gives a little introduction that sets the theme for each. I love his interpretation and gentle guiding. He opened my eyes years ago to reading poetry and looking at the images in a broader way. Bly has received some criticism for his translations, as actually some of his work involves taking the English of other translators and giving it more vernacular language. While I understand and appreciate precision, I would also rather read a Bly translation of, say, Rilke's The Panther. I've seen the original and understand a little German, and to me Bly's ideas about keeping the emotional tenor alive make the poems so much more delightful to read, and his translations lose nothing.

So the poems are arranged in sections by topic and with a sense toward their emotional tenor. This is Bly's greatest strength, I think, and combined with his intelligence and broad interests he has used his senses to put together a wonderful, inspirational book.

For another excellent book in a similar vein, check out The Essential Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks. Includes a couple of recipies (I have yet to try them out). Also The Kabir Book, by Robert Bly. The spiritual poems of Kabir, Rumi, and Mirabai are still new to this culture, and very beautiful and delightful. It's nice to see them in the anthology alongside Western poems- especially alongside Western poems. Who knows? Maybe they will change your life. -Mike

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