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In a barren place
You will not see the wind
But in a rose garden
When a rose waves at you
You know wind is present"
Sufi poet Mosavat has composed a collection of mystical works that speak, he says, “about merging in the end” where no separation exists. In the tradition of Sufism, which developed within Islamic culture, the images of human love are subtly presented as symbolic of the relationship between humans and the divine. In this volume, the poet has chosen the rose as a powerful representation of such love. Other aspects of love here are depicted variously as fragrance, music, candlelight, and the moon. The verses quietly convey spiritual insight through these conventionally romantic images. Some come across almost like Zen koans, because of the way the poet startles or awakens the reader, such as when he declares, “A lover loves death,” since a kiss must die in order to create the longing for the new kiss, and the day must die before a new dawn.
Mosavat is a retired schoolteacher who came to the US from Iran in 1955 after a coup d’état took away many of his friends and, he says, “my faith in my country.” Based on his Sufi beliefs, he has created his poems with appropriate language and conscience. He has organized his volume in an attractive format, with a delicate illustration of a rose alongside the verses. The 145 short works are noted by first line rather than by a separate title. Mosavat artfully projects peacefulness and joy through his persistent imagery of the natural world gently impacting the human mind and heart. The last offering in his collection speaks to his wish to bring healing and harmony to others: “Don’t be the only one in the coming Spring not flowering.” Admirers of the Sufi philosophy and lovers of wisdom couched in poetic terms will welcome Mosavat’s engaging offerings.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review