Rumi Wisdom for Reflective Isolation

Tahya with Cooperman Glen Velez series hand drum

During isolation brought about by stay-at-home-orders due to the coronavirus pandemic, I've found a little extra time to pick up the frame drum and attempt to accompany myself reciting Rumi. This was a challenge for me, you see, because in the past I've been blessed to have far more talented percussionists accompany me which allowed me to get lost in the words/world of Rumi.... Nevertheless, I thought it would be a good challenge and I've been practicing here and there in between also still working full-time remotely from home. Challenging indeed! It is sooo easy to get lost in the poetry, it's hard to stay focused and grounded enough to sustain the rhythm and play the drum at the same time. At any rate, it turns out it was a good thing I had been practicing it because our local PBS station contacted me thinking that I would be a likely candidate for them to feature on their Friday arts segment. They had looked at my website and specifically asked for me to do something with drumming to which I counter requested if I might include Rumi recitations and they loved the idea. I also mentioned that I have found refuge in the weekly series of exploring 'A Treasury of Rumi* faciliated by Dr. Walead Mosaad, director of Muslim Student Life at Lehigh, in which we gather to discuss the 'Rumi Wisdom for Reflective Isolation.'
So, below you'll find my offering ~ a recording on a webcam over Zoom. The quality's not great but I hope you'll look favorably upon my effort. I clearly have a long way to go in maintaining a consistent rhythm while reciting the poetry. It's quite the challenge indeed because I am mesmerized by Rumi making it difficult to stay sufficiently grounded to play the drum. KUDOS to all the drummers out there who play polyrhythms and sing simultaneously! WOW! Nevertheless, it's a great practice for me and one I hope/intend to maintain. NAMASTÉ For more information, please visit www.Tahya.com POSTSCRIPT: I made this recording on the afternoon of Thursday, May 28, 2020, BEFORE protests erupted over the course of several days and over the course of now two+ weeks in at least 30 US cities, which then extended in Europe too, over the death of unarmed black man George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I am somewhat embarrassed now to share this video with my inherent cheerful demeanor.... My smile now seems unreasonably and ridiculously unjustified, even disrespectful, under these dire circumstances of unrest and protest 😥 and yet, I have to admit these words of Rumi remain all the more poignant.

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*A collection of translations by Dr. Muhammad Isa Waley retired Lead Curator for Persian and Turkish Collections at the British Library, London. His main research specialisations are the palaeography, codicology, illumination and cataloguing of Islamic manuscripts; and the classical verse and prose literature of Islamic spirituality. The subject of his PhD was Jalal al-Din Rumi’s work and he is an editor for the Mawlana Rumi Review, an annual journal.