Abstract
Sufism is the mode of religious life in Islam in which emphasis is placed on the activities of the inner self than external rituals and performances. The essence of Sufism lies in its internal transcendental experience. The aim of Sufis is to delve into the human soul and see through its darkness in order to reach the ultimate truth. Sufi poetry is abundant with images that present the human soul as a mystery that could be decrypted via contemplation, meditation, and inner vision. The target of Sufis is to reunite with the Universal Self that is the ‘truer’ self of every human (i.e. God). Likewise, Romanticism is founded on the doctrine that all creation began in harmonious unity. Romantic poets share Sufis’ quest for truth and an illuminating path towards reaching the essence of the Divine. A renowned Romantic poet, John Keats, contrary to his fellow Romantics, never alluded to sharing any interest with the orient or the spirituality it incarnates. However, by attempting a Sufi reading of his poem ‘Ode to a Nightingale’, this research paper will attempt to highlight the underlying philosophy and uncover the spiritual implications hidden within Keats’ ode and propound a solid connection between Sufi and Romantic ideologies.
Highlights
Interest in the Orient has always been a main feature of European writings
Sufi poetry is abundant with images that present the human soul as a mystery that could be decrypted via contemplation, meditation, and inner vision
In her book Borrowed Imagination: The British Romantic Poets and the Arabic-Islamic Sources, Samar Attar stresses the profound influence of Arabic works on the Romantics and regrets that these influences were not explored by European scholars
Summary
Interest in the Orient has always been a main feature of European writings. Seen as a far-distant other, many writers, throughout the 18th and the 19th centuries, created a large body of literature, either translating or adapting from original oriental texts. In addition to The Arabian Nights, other sources were available to the Romantic writers in abundance such as “pre-Islamic poetry, Arabic history and literature, Muslim mystic poetry, and numerous oriental tales” (Attar 14). Nasr claims that the “appeal of Sufism in Europe is to a remarkable extent due to the writings of Persian Sufi poets and philosophers such as Sana’i, Maulavi (Rumi), Attar, Sa’adi, Hafez, Mahmud Shabestari, Shah Ne’matollah Wali, and Jami” [3]. In 1807, when Lord Byron was only 19 years, he made a list of the books that he had read This list included, among others, “Arabia-Mahomet, whose Koran contains most sublime poetical passages, far surpassing European poetry. This paper aims to explore John Keats’ ‘Ode to a Nightingale’ from a Sufi perspective attempting to translate his inner journey into spiritual, Sufi terms to showcase a Romantic self that has deep passion in spiritualism and transcendentalism
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