Love's Last Madness: Poems on a Spiritual Path

by Darshan Singh, Barry Lerner (Translator), Harbans Singh Bedi (Translator)

Overview

Love’s Last Madness, a translation of selected poems from Darshan Singh’s magnum opus Matā‘-e Nūr, sings of the torments and ecstasies a lover of God experiences on the journey to divine realization. Remarkable for masterfully fulfilling his worldly responsibilities while immersing himself in his mystic quest, Darshan Singh (1921–1989) was a renowned spiritual teacher with tens of thousands of students around the globe. Four-time winner of a prestigious Urdu academy award for poetry in India, he has been acclaimed by critics as one of the greatest mystical poets in the Urdu language.

All royalties from this book will be donated to charity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781948796385
Publisher:	Epigraph Publishing
Publication date:	12/04/2018
Pages:	270
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.61(d)

Table of Contents

Preface to the Revised Edition xiii

Transliteration System for Urdu, Hindi, Persian, and Arabic xviii

Introduction 1

Sant Darshan Singh (1921–1989) 1

Sant Mat—The Theory of the Mystic Path 6

The Mystic Path through Darshan’s Poetry 8

The Roots of Urdu Poetry 19

The Ghazal—Form 22

The Ghazal—Themes 24

The Lyric Voice of Darshan’s Poetry 27

Gender in the Ghazal 29

Problems Encountered in Translating and Annotating 30

Mystical Symbols Frequently Employed in Darshan’s Poetry 31

Selected Poetry: Matā‘-e Nūr –Treasure House of Light 35

Translations of Urdu Ghazals 37

Translations of Persian Ghazals 123

Translations of Urdu Sonnets 129

A Bouquet from Darshan’s Garden 133

Commentary on the Poems 137

Table of Correspondence between Translated Poems and Urdu Originals 212

Notes 214

Bibliography 240

About the Translators 249

Editorial Reviews

"Sant Darshan Singh represents the best in the historic interaction of mysticism with Indo-Persian aesthetics. In the tradition of the greatest Sufi masters and poets, his passionate love takes him to the realm where the divine reality is no longer a distant transcendence. Those who love Rumi will love Darshan Singh, whose sublime spirit shines through these faithful yet poetic translations." —Mumtaz Ahmad, late Executive Director of the Iqbal International Institute for Research and Dialogue, Islamabad, and Professor of Political Science, Hampton University

"Metaphors convey the vision of the spiritual life in flashes that can be immediately apprehended. This is just what poetry is, and Sant Darshan Singh is a master of that. Translators Lerner and Bedi, through lively, natural expressions and a simple, polished style, have achieved an admirable closeness to the original Urdu verses." —Shaligram Shukla, Professor of Linguistics, Georgetown University

"These poems are quite literally inspiriting. Precise and surprising metaphors refresh the reader on every page. Any reader who delights in poetry will be delighted by Darshan Singh. The translators’ introduction, commentaries, and notes are an education in themselves." —John Michael, Professor of English and Visual and Cultural Studies, University of Rochester

"Darshan Singh conveys the nuances of divine romance with such variety, command and sensitivity that it is apparent his poetic muse springs from direct mystical experience, not mere literary imagination. His artistic genius enables him, like Rumi of old, to impart the timeless, haunting fragrance of the inner spiritual realms while retaining its heart-warming humanity and contemporary relevance." —Eliot Jay Rosen, author of the Los Angeles Times best-selling book Experiencing the Soul — Before Birth, During Life, After Death and coauthor of The Compassionate Diet

"Having grown up in a Sufi household in Africa, I strongly urge readers to feed themselves from this spiritual meal cooked in the mystical kitchen of Darshan Singh." —Sulayman S. Nyang, Professor Emeritus of African Studies, Howard University, Washington, D.C.

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