Coleman Barks

Coleman Barks (April 23, 1937 – February 23, 2026) was an American poet and former literature faculty member at the University of Georgia. Although he neither spoke nor read Persian, he was a popular interpreter of Rumi, rewriting the poems based on other English translations. Quotes Translations The Essential Rumi (1995) Interpretations of Rumi, based on the translations of John Moyne, Reynold Nicholson and A. J. Arberry thumb|right|What is the body? That shadow of a shadow of your love, that somehow contains the entire universe. thumb|right|There is a community of the spirit Join it, and feel the delight of walking in the noisy street, and being the noise. thumb|right|There is no reality but God, says the completely surrendered sheik, who is an ocean for all beings. thumb|right|Gamble everything for love, if you are a true human being. thumb|right|The miracle of Jesus is himself, not what he said or did about the future. thumb|right|Move outside the tangle of fear-thinking. Live in silence. thumb|right|Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there. All day I think about it, then at night I say it. Where did I come from, and what am I supposed to be doing? I have no idea. My soul is from elsewhere, I'm sure of that, and I intend to end up there. "Who says words with my mouth?" in Ch. 1: The Tavern, p. 2 Who looks out with my eyes? What is the soul?I cannot stop asking.If I could taste one sip of an answer,I could break out of this prison for drunks.I didn't come here of my own accord, and I can't leave that way.Whoever brought me here, will have to take me home. "Who says words with my mouth?" in Ch. 1: The Tavern, p. 2 This poetry. I never know what I'm going to say.I don't plan it.When I'm outside the saying of it,I get very quiet and rarely speak at all. "Who says words with my mouth?" in Ch. 1: The Tavern, p. 2 There is a community of the spirit Join it, and feel the delight of walking in the noisy street, and being the noise. "A Community of the Spirit" in Ch. 1: The Tavern, p. 2 Quit acting like a wolf, and feel the shepherd's love filling you. "A Community of the Spirit" in Ch. 1: The Tavern, p. 2 Move outside the tangle of fear-thinking. Live in silence. Flow down and down in always widening rings of being. "A Community of the Spirit" in Ch. 1: The Tavern, p. 2 What is the body? That shadow of a shadowof your love, that somehow containsthe entire universe. "Where are we?" in Ch. 2: Bewilderment Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about language, ideas, even the phrase each other doesn't make any sense. "The Great Wagon" Ch. 4: Spring Giddiness, p. 36 Variant translations: Between wrongness and rightness there is a field. I will meet you there. As quoted in Counselling Psychology: Integration of Theory, Research and Supervised Practice (1998) by Petruska Clarkson Out beyond the world of ideas of wrong doing and right doing, there is a field. I will meet you there. As quoted in Lightning in a Bottle: Proven Lessons for Leading Change (2000) by David H. Baum Out beyond ideas of right and wrong doing, there is a field. I will meet you there. As quoted in Architects of Peace: Visions of Hope in Words and Images (2002) by Michael Collopy, p. 109 Out beyond ideas of rightdoing and wrongdoing There is a field. I will meet you there. Strategic Learning in a Knowledge Economy: Individual, Collective and Organizational Learning Processes (2000) by Robert L. Cross and Sam B. Israelit Spring is Christ, Raising martyred plants from their shrouds. Their mouths open in gratitude, wanting to be kissed. The glow of the rose and the tulip means a lamp is inside. A leaf trembles. I tremble in the wind-beauty like silk from Turkestan. The censer fans into flame. This wind is the Holy Spirit. The trees are Mary. "Spring is Christ" in Ch. 4: Spring Giddiness, p. 37 We talk about this and that. There’s no rest except on these branching moments. "Spring is Christ" in Ch. 4: Spring Giddiness, p. 38 There is no reality but God, says the completely surrendered sheik, who is an ocean for all beings. "The Grasses" in Ch. 4: Spring Giddiness, p. 44 Disputational knowing wants customers. It has no soul. "The Sheikh who played with the Children" in Ch. 4: Spring Giddiness, p. 46 Let the lover be disgraceful, crazy, absent-minded. Someone sober will worry about events going badly. Let the lover be. Ch. 4: Spring Giddiness, p. 46 I can't stop pointing to the beauty.Every moment and place says, "Put this design in your carpet!" "Put This Design in Your Carpet" Ch. 11: Union From Hallaj, I learned to hunt lions, but I became something hungrier than a lion. "Hallaj" Ch. 11: Union This dance is the joy of existence. I am filled with you. Skin, blood, bone, brain, and soul.There's no room for lack of trust, or trust. Nothing in this existence but that existence. "We Three" Ch. 11: Union The place that Solomon made to worship in, called the Far Mosque, is not built of earth and water and stone, but of intention and wisdom and mystical conversation and compassionate action. "The Far Mosque" in Ch. 17: Solomon Poems, p. 191 This heart sanctuary does exist, but it can't be described. Why try! Solomon goes there every morning and gives guidancewith words, with musical harmonies, and in actions,which are the deepest teaching. A prince is justa conceit until he does something with generosity. "The Far Mosque" in Ch. 17: Solomon Poems, p. 191 Gamble everything for love, if you are a true human being. "On Gambling" Ch. 18: The Three Fish, p. 193 Do not believe in an absurdity no matter who says it. "The Three Fish" Ch. 18: The Three Fish, p. 196 Silence is an ocean. Speech is a river.When the ocean is searching for you, don't walk into the language-river. Listen to the ocean, and bring your talky business to an endTraditional words are just babbling in that presence, and babbling is a substitute for sight. "The Three Fish" Ch. 18: The Three Fish, p. 196 Variant translations or adaptations: Silence is the language of God, all else is poor translation. As quoted in Teachers of Wisdom (2010) by Igor Kononenko, p. 134 Silence is an ocean. Speech is a river. Silence is the language of God, all else is poor translation. As quoted in "Rumi’s wisdom", paulocoelhoblog.com (2 October 2015), by Paulo Coelho thumb|right|Every object and being in the universe is a jar overflowing with wisdom and beauty, a drop of the Tigris that cannot be contained by any skin. Every object and being in the universe is a jar overflowing with wisdom and beauty,a drop of the Tigris that cannot be contained by any skin. Every jarful spills and makes the earth more shining, as though covered in satin. "The Gift of Water" Ch. 18: The Three Fish, p. 200 You knock at the door of Reality. You shake your thought wings, loosen your shoulders, and open. "The Gift of Water" Ch. 18: The Three Fish, p. 200 thumb|right|Christ is the population of the world, and every object as well. Christ is the population of the world, and every object as well. There is no roomfor hypocrisy. Why use bitter soup for healing when sweet water is everywhere? Ch. 19: Jesus Poems, p. 204 Lovers think they are looking for each other,but there is only one search: wanderingThis world is wandering that, both inside onetransparent sky. In herethere is no dogma and no heresy. Ch. 19: Jesus Poems, p. 205 The miracle of Jesus is himself, not what he said or didabout the future. Forget the future.I'd worship someone who could do that. Ch. 19: Jesus Poems, p. 205 thumb|right|Good and bad are mixed. If you don't have both, you don't belong with us. thumb|right|God's lion did nothing that didn't originate from his deep center. thumb|right|Learn from Ali how to fight without your ego participating. thumb|right|Do not grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form. The cure for pain is in the pain.Good and bad are mixed. If you don't have both,you don't belong with us. Ch. 19: Jesus Poems It may be that the satisfaction I needdepends on my going away, so that when I've goneand come back, I'll find it at home. "In Baghdad, Dreaming of Cairo: In Cairo, Dreaming of Baghdad." Ch. 20: In Baghdad, Dreaming of Cairo: More Teaching Stories, p. 206 Learn from Ali how to fight without your ego participating. God's lion did nothing that didn't originate from his deep center. "Ali in Battle" an account of Ali ibn Abi Talib's explanation as to why he declined to kill someone who had spit in his face as Ali was defeating him in battle, in Ch. 20: In Baghdad dreaming of Cairo I am God's Lion, not the lion of passion.... I have no longing except for the One. When a wind of personal reaction comes, I do not go along with it. There are many winds full of anger, and lust and greed. They move the rubbish around, but the solid mountain of our true nature stays where it's always been. "Ali in Battle" in Ch. 20: In Baghdad dreaming of Cairo This that we are now created the body, cell by cell, like bees building a honeycomb.The human body and the universe grew from this, not this from the universe and the human body. "This We Have Now" in Ch. 25: Majesty. p. 262 Do not grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form. "Unmarked boxes" / Ode#1937 Not yet sourced by chapter thumb|Come to the orchard in spring. thumb|right|Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel the artistry moving through, and be silent. thumb|The ruby and the sunrise are one. Every tree and plant in the meadow seemed to be dancing, those which average eyes would see as fixed and still. God's joy moved from unmarked box to unmarked box, from cell to cell. Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel the artistry moving through, and be silent. Come to the orchard in Spring.There is light and wine, and sweethearts in the pomegranate flowers.If you do not come, these do not matter.If you do come, these do not matter. He says, "There’s nothing left of me.I’m like a ruby held up to the sunrise.Is it still a stone, or a worldmade of redness? It has no resistanceto sunlight."This is how Hallaj said, I am God,and told the truth!The ruby and the sunrise are one.Be courageous and discipline yourself.Completely become hearing and ear,and wear this sun-ruby as an earring. External links Category:1937 births Category:2026 deaths Category:Translators from the United States Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni Category:People from Tennessee