188

book reviews

can carrythat being a Sign [of the Imamate], also along with brightness of brow and prominence of proboscis, and his way of exercising authority (sratu-hu l-mulk) between gentleness and harshness (al-ln wa-l-[anf ). So, accompany that well-guarded Caravan (al-rakb al-mahfuz) [and] well-regarded Harem (al-musa al-malhuz) for, truly, there is no good in n anything that remains after [his departure from the land], but rather, the Good (al-khayr) is before and with him'.

With this volume, Elmore joins such Akbarian luminaries as William Chittick and Michel Chodkiewicz as a major commentator on the Shaykh al-Akbar. The depth and range of scholarship exhibited (not to mention its sheer physical weight!) ensure that Islamic Sainthood in the Fullness of Time will remain the denitive introduction to Ibn al-[Arab's Book of the Fabulous Gryphon for many years to come. Ian Richard Netton University of Leeds

Fardu]d-dn [Attar: The Speech of the Birds (Mantiqu]t-tair) Translated by Peter Avery. Cambridge: Islamic Texts Society. 1998. Pp. 582. Price HB 45.00. 0946621691.
[Attar's Mantiqu]t-tair was translated several times into European languages and is one of the most famous poetical works in the history of Susm. Numberless allusions to this epic are found in Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Sindhi, and other oriental languages, and Western scholars of mystical traditions have alluded to it time and again, often without knowing its exact form and contents. [Attar is without doubt a wonderful story-teller and we can imagine him sitting in his druggist's shop in Nishapur, trying to treat not only the bodily ailments of his visitors with his variegated drugs and perfumes but also healing their souls by offering them stories that tell of love, longing, and suffering on the way toward the goal, whether this goal be located on the icy summit of the world encircling Mount Qaf where the Simurgh lives, be itas in the Musbatnamalocated in the ocean of one's own heart. To translate [Attar's work is not an easy task. As with many Su poets his work is replete with allusions to the Qur]an, the Hadth and, naturally enough, to Su traditions. Quite a few stories that appear in his poetry are found in the Tadhkirat al-awliya, sometimes with variations. His language often lacks the lustre, the tremendous re, which permeates Mawlana Rum's workif we can compare Rum's poetry to a radiant, ery ruby then that of [Attar seems to me rather like an amethyst that shimmers in purple hues, beautiful but lled with deep sadness. When one has translated parts of [Attar's epics, as the present reviewer did recently, one knows the immense difculties in producing a verse translation, and it is probably wise to revert to clear, simple prose which reects [Attar's style faithfully (almost verbatim!) and allows the translator to remain very close to the original text.

book reviews

189

Peter Avery's translation, based on the oldest extant manuscripts, reads well, although I sometimes nd the wording almost too faithful to the Persian text. But as English is not my mother-tongue this may be my personal problem. It is, however, not only the translation which makes [Attar's masterwork now easily accessible to those who do not know Persian, rather, it is the immense wealth of footnotes which the translator has added and which comprise more than a hundred pages in small print (420542). Every difculty in the text has been explained, from allusions to the Qur]an to linguistic and historical problems and, of course, to Su history and terminology. The glossary can thus almost serve as an introduction into twelfthcentury Susm, and every scholar of Islamic civilization will welcome it. However, one would like to nd a bibliography of the numerous sources quoted in the text to facilitate access to the wealth of materialthis is the only thing that, to my feeling, detracts a trie from the overall beauty and value of the book. We are most grateful to Peter Avery who has spent many years completing this book which, as we hope, will introduce the work of one of the greatest mystical poets of the East to Western audiences and, as we expect, will attract many new admirers. To study this book should be a must for everyone interested in Islamic culture and in mystical thought in general: as Avery quotes a Christian mystic (xviii): `All mystics speak the same language for they come from the same country.' Annemarie Schimmel Bonn

Rumi, Past and Present, East and West: The Life, Teaching and Poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi By Franklin D. Lewis. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. 2000. Pp. 384. Price HB 19.99. 1851682147.
As no other gure of the Islamic world Jalal al-Dn Rum has been monopolized by esoteric communities, by the New Age movement, and by seekers of new religious forms at the close of the twentieth century. He has even become the `best-selling poet' in the United States. Franklin D. Lewis takes account of this fact in his book Rumi, Past and Present, East and West. It is the rst to take into consideration the needs created by the so-called Rum-mania, and it has become a comprehensive reference work. Not only does Lewis provide us with a bibliographical guide to works by and about Rum, translations, adaptations, and imitations of his works, but in the rst three parts of the book he summarizes the current state of Rum studies. The book is divided into ve major parts: Rumi's Fathers in Spirit; Rumi's Children and Brethren in Spirit; The Texts and the Teachings; Rumi and the Mevlevis in the Muslim World; and Rumi in the West, Rumi around the World.