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Rating: 
Summary: Quest for the Self
Review: 'The poetry of mysticism,' wrote Evelyn Underhill, 'might be defined on the one hand as a temperamental reaction to the vision of Reality: on the other, as a form of prophecy. As it is the special vocation of the mystical consciousness to mediate between two orders, going out in loving adoration towards God and coming home to tell the secrets of Eternity to other men; so the artistic self-expression of this consciousness has also a double character. It is love-poetry, but love-poetry which is often written with a missionary intention.''Poetry for the Spirit' is an exquisite anthology of mystical verse. Drawing from the greatest literary and spiritual traditions of the world, Alan Jacobs has assembled a unique collection of beautiful and profound reflections on the perplexities of the human condition and the nature of the Divine Self. Structuring the book chronologically, the editor entices us on a poetic journey, taking as his starting point the very beginning of time and space with 'The Song of Creation' from the Indian text, the 'Rig Veda' - the most ancient scripture known to mankind: He, the first origin of this creation, whether he formed it all
or did not form it.
Whose eye controls this world in highest heaven, he verily
knows it, or perhaps he knows not. Indeed, the search for ultimate wisdom and self knowledge is the delicate thread weaving its design through this silken poetic collection, manifesting as symbols and metaphors of the mystical consciousness: from the metaphysical verse of John Donne, Walt Whitman, Vivekananda and T S Eliot, to the romantic poetry of Kabir, Christina Rossetti, Rainer Maria Rilke and W B Yeats; from the philosophical meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Aurobindo Ghose, Thomas Traherne and Lao Tzu, to the devotional ecstasies of Rabi'a, St Teresa of Avila, Rúmà and William Blake. The quest for mystical experience has seduced mankind since the beginning of time. But as the Indian sage Ramana Maharshi reflects, the Beatific Vision is well within our reach: As in a well of water deep,
Dive deep with Reason cleaving sharp.
With speech, mind and breath restrained,
Exploring thus mayest thou discover
the real source of ego-self.
The mind through calm in deep plunge enquires.
That alone is real quest for the Self.
Rating: 
Summary: Better selection would have helped
Review: When you are compiling an anthology your main concern is selection; and by selection I don't just mean the poems themselves but also the translations. There are a couple of translations of Attar with rhyming verse included here, and that is just insane. How can you include scenes from Shakespeare's plays in an anthology of mystical poetry and leave out Hafiz? Yeah that's right, he left out Hafiz one of the greatest mystical poets of them all. The publishing date in the book I have is 2002 and I can assure you there are better translations of the Rig Veda, Bhagavad Gita, Song of Songs, and the Upanishads than the ones included here; not to mention a few other questionable translations from "anonymous" people (the reason for this may be in getting permission to include certain translations, I don't know). One of the best things about the book is also one of the worst though and that is the latter selections, most of which come from the west. What is great about these latter selections is that I was introduced to several poets I had not heard of. What is bad is that some of them shouldn't have been included. The reason for this is that the book is advertised as an anthology of mystical poems and to me mysticism transcends whatever religion it is associated with. The poems in question are certainly religious in nature but I don't think they are mystical; and there is a difference. The collection is so-so but it is hardly must have material.
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