Fifty Shades of the Mystic East: 50 of the best poems from the Mystic East

Whilst the notion of the Mystic East and Oriental wisdom was greatly romanticised by the Victorians and others, the shadow of Colonialism has smudged the view. These great cultures are some of humanity’s earliest, their works, their art some of its most daring and most accomplished.
In these 50 poems across 50 poets we hope, at least in part, to rebalance our view of this subject. We begin in the 6th century BC and travel with a poet’s words and eyes across India, China, Persia and many other places in between. The geography and culture may shift to different hues but the flavours, notions, musings and truths of these works bring both simplicity, majesty and beauty to these lands and peoples.

Let us journey with poets such as Lao Tzu, Rumi, Mirabai, Gabirol and Guru Nanak on a journey to seek, to discover and find meaning in their verse that is so relevant to our lives today.

1 - Fifty Shades of the Mystic East - An Introduction

2 - Thiruppavi (An Extract) by Andal

3 - An Ocean Without Shore by Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi

4 - All Pervading Consciousness by Farid ud-Din Attar

5 - Because Thou Art by Sri Aurobindo

6 - Kalam - I by Sultan Bahu

7 - If You Are Seeking Allah by Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai

8 - Shikshashtakam by Chaitanya

9 - The Value of Friendship by Confucius

10 - Amrutanubhav (An Extract) by Dnyaneshwar

11 - The Mockingbird by Dr Fu

12 - The Song of Chess by Abraham Ibn Ezra

13 - Beauty of Truth by Khwaja Ghulam Farid

14 - The Prelude to Shah-Nameh (The Book of Kings) by Ferdowsi

15 - A Song of Redemption by Solomon Ibn Gabirol

16 - Navada Bhakti in an Untainted Heart by Gangasati

17 - The Walled Garden by Sanai Ghaznavi

18 - Song of the Flower by Khalil Gibran

19 - The Lute Will Beg by Hafiz

20 - Song of Loneliness by Jehudah Halevi

21 - I Do Not Cease Swimming by Mansur Al Hallaj

22 - The Power of the Pen by Samuel HaNagid

23 - The Cloud on the Mountain by Alama Iqbal

24 - Acceptance by Janabai

25 - The Guest Is Inside You and Also Inside Me by Kabir

26 - Tears Ere Thy Death by Khansa

27 - All Things Pass by Lao Tzu

28 - Vakh - If in the Flux of Time by Lal Ded

29 - Alone Looking at the Mountain by Li Po

30 - They All Err by Al-Ma'arri

31 - Would a Circling Surface Vulture by Akka Mahadevi

32 - Pointless It Is to Lament by Narsinh Mehta

33 - Go To That Impenetrable Realm by Mirabai

34 - The True Name is Like Sandalwood by Namdev

35 - Tiruvasiriyam by Nammalvar

36 - Dhanasri Measure by Guru Nanak

37 - Dream Fable by Rabia al Basri

38 - Where Shall I Go by Ramananda

39 - The Name Alone Is the Truth by Ravidas

40 - Only Breath by Jalaluddin Rumi

41 - One Body by Saadi

42 - His Ears Ringeth by Sambandar

43 - Drive Me Out of My Mind by Ramprasad Sen

44 - Who Attains the Secret of Unity. From the Mystic Rose Garden by Mahmud Shabistari

45 - Neither Hindu Nor Muslim by Bulleh Shah

46 - A Life Without Love by Shams Tabrizi

47 - The Journey by Tagore

48 - The Secret of Peace by Tukaram

49 - Hanuman Chalisa by Tulsidas

50 - On the Stork Tower by Wang Zhihuan

51 - Old Lines and New Songs by Wu Zao