Yearning for an experience of God / panel discussion
On the spiritual poetry of Rumi and other Sufi poets / Elbphilharmonie+
Rumi forever
»Sufi woman, read me Rumi ’til I fall asleep upon your bosom (yeah, yeah)« sings the American rapper Jidenna on one track from his latest album »85 To Africa« that has millions of listens on Spotify. It’s not the first reference to the Sufi poet Rumi in contemporary popular culture. Quite the contrary: if there is one poet from the past that speaks to the spiritually inclined from our present age between yoga classes, latte macchiatos and transcendental dance, then that is Jalāl al-Dīn Rumi. The 750th anniversary of his death next year will be a welcome opportunity for all sorts of tributes. What is it that makes Rumi’s verse so enchanting, even for those outside Sufi circles? Do we really understand it, or are we westerners simply scratching the surface?
Entry to this event is free when you present a ticket for any Sufi Festival concert as long as free seats are available.
The approaching memorial year should also bring a great deal of attention to a magnificent new publication in two volumes by Chalice Verlag this year: the first full German verse translation of Rumi’s »Masnavi«, a didactic poem which the German-Swiss author and translator Otto Höschle has now rendered in blank verse. In this panel discussion, Höschle talks with the Cologne-based Islamic studies scholar, Sufi expert and writer Stefan Weidner, who has also conducted research on numerous other aspects of the Arabic cultural world.
Starting with Rumi’s special fame, the two experts discuss the continuing enthusiastic reception of Rumi’s spiritual love poetry in the west, as well as the very different themes and form found in his »Masnavi«. The pair will also be discussing the work of other Sufi poets such as Attar and Hafiz. A reading of selected passages rounds off the programme.
Performers
Otto Höschle talk
Stefan Weidner talk
Tom R. Schulz moderation
Benita Rinne narrator
Programme
»Sehnsucht nach Gotteserfahrung: Zur spirituellen Poesie Rumis und anderer sufischer Dichter«
Festival
Sufi Festival