The Drop that Became the Sea: Lyric Poems

This collection of poems introduces a general readership to Yunus Emre (1240–1321), called the “greatest folk poet in Islam.” An unlettered Turkish shepherd who sang mystical songs that are still popular today, he was the first in a great tradition of Turkish Sufi troubadours who celebrated the Divine Presence as the intimate Beloved and Friend. Yunus’s verse conveys the spirit and philosophy of Islamic mysticism in simple, earthy language.