Rumi's poem is not irrational. Not in the least! The person/reader he's addressing is not even irrational but given to argument and debate instead of understanding what escapes his experience. Rumi is suggesting that while we argue about the existence of something we are unaware when it makes its presence known and felt. In this case, the sun is simply a metaphor for God. Rumi's thesis, so elegantly put, may even supersede the realm of rationality but the absence of rationality is not necessarily irrational. In fact, the reader's rationality of argumentation succumbs to the reality of the sun which escapes his reason. While the point of the essay may be that Indian poets tend to write irrational poems Rumi's poem is not a valid or appropriate introduction to the subject, in my humble opinion. That's my two cents' worth. Mani Suri
[email protected] wrote: You want proof that the sun exists, so you stay up All night talking about it. Finally you sleep As the sun comes up. Indian poetry in English is plagued by the kind of irrationality suggested in these word of Jelaluddin Balkhi 'Rumi'. There are just too many Indians writing poetry in English, and too few reading it. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater? Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good! http://us.click.yahoo.com/pkgkPB/SOnJAA/Zx0JAA/yqIolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Did you get this mail as a forward? Subscribe by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/join. Members are encouraged to post poetry, their own and others', respond critically to the poems circulated, and participate in discussions. Post via email at [email protected] OR online at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/post. ---theZESTcommunity-------------- [1] ZESTCurrent: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCurrent/ [2] ZESTEconomics: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTEconomics/ [3] ZESTGlobal: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTGlobal/ [4] ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/ [5] ZESTPoets: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/ [6] ZESTCaste: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ [7] ZESTAlternative: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTAlternative/ [8] TalkZEST: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TalkZEST/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
