"I am not one who was born in the custody of wisdom. I am one who is fond of olden times and intense in quest of the sacred knowing of the ancients." Gustave Courbet

12 January 2015

See.

Born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Coleman Barks taught poetry and creative writing at the University of Georgia for 30 years. A prolific translator of the works of 13th century mystic poet, Jalaluddin Rumi, Barks has been a student of Sufism since the late 1970s.

In this episode of Sounds of Poetry, Barks explains that he translates Rumi through his own personality and experience. A poet in his own right, Barks believes he is “in a kind of apprenticeship” with Rumi. “He’s an enlightened being and I’m not enlightened. But within his glance I see, I see how it might be,” says Barks.



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