BuzzFlash Reviews

September 2004

Rumi: Poet of the Heart (DVD)

BUZZFLASH REVIEWS

Frankly, we weren't expecting to offer "Rumi: Poet of the Heart." I mean, we aren't Kahlil Gibran fans, and generally we haven't posted non-political premiums on BuzzFlash. But Haydn Reiss, the director of the George Lakoff DVD we offer, kept cajoling us to take a look at this 58-minute documentary on a 13th century Iranian poet (although he was born in Afghanistan). And so we watched it, and were mesmerized.

Maybe it was the professionalism of the documentary; maybe it was the beautiful readings of Rumi's work by poet and translator Coleman Barks -- accompanied by traditional Persian instrumental music. Maybe it was the commentary by preeminent American poet Robert Bly and new age guru Deepak Chopra about the Sufi poet who was the inspiration for the "whirling dervishes."

Maybe it is that Rumi's poetry is the perfect, soothing-to-the soul balm in an age when democracy is under attack by a one-party system of anti-Constitutional, discriminatory, lying hypocrites. (You know who we are talking about.)

Reiss masterfully unveils the wisdom and eternal truths of a poet who died hundreds of years ago. This is a poetry that calms and transforms. It's like finding an oasis amidst the desert of modern politics.

We didn't expect to very much like this DVD. We began watching it as a favor to the director, but discovered that he had done us a favor in persuading us to give it a look over.

Leave the 21st Century for a about an hour and watch "Rumi: Poet of the Heart," and return enriched.

Rumi is now, we learned the number one selling poet in the West. The fortunate thing is that he's been dead for too many centuries for commercial success to corrupt him.

Rumi captures the divine spark in the human heart and celebrates humanity and nature.

BUZZFLASH REVIEWS