Signs of the Unseen: The Discourses of Jelaluddin Rumi

Mostly we know Rumi from the numinous and increasingly numerous translations of his verses, which bring the 12th-century Sufi's heady teachings to a secular age. Here, however, we have something very different and most welcome: his discourses, lectures, conversations and ruminations on a variety of topics. These 71 prose pieces are an unexpected treat for the Western ear used to his ecstatic poetry. Rumi's talks are filled with the intuitive ``leaps'' characteristic of his poetry. But, more importantly, these texts offer Rumi's thinking on subjects he and his students found important, subjects the modern reader will find fascinating. Thackston has also provided us with one of the most useful and important introductions to the work of Rumi yet published. A book that any student of Rumi or of Sufism in general will find essential. (Mar.)