Maggi Van Dorn, a Santa Clara alumna, unveils the profound impact of poetry in unexpected spiritual journeys, highlighting the endearing concept of “Pet Names” for God.
Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West, translated by Daniel Ladinsky (2002)
In May 2009, amidst the emotional intensity of my Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) year, our community embarked on a three-day silent retreat. Working closely with individuals in drug and alcohol recovery had been emotionally taxing, and I found myself deeply pondering my path beyond JVC. During those three days, I immersed myself in active reflection – journaling, practicing the Ignatian examen, engaging in spiritual direction, and creating a detailed art collage. While these practices offered some clarity, they also led to a sense of introspection overload.
Seeking solace one evening, I wandered into the retreat center’s library. The room was hushed, save for the subtle rustling of dust motes and the gentle cracking of aged book spines as they were opened. My fingers traced the shelves, briefly pausing at familiar titles before settling on a captivating red book, Love Poems from God. Flipping through its pages, I recognized names like Francis of Assisi, Thomas Aquinas, Teresa of Avila, and Rumi, alongside less familiar figures such as Rabia, Kabir, Mira, and Meister Eckhart.
Daniel Ladinsky, the translator, clearly embraced an intriguing East-West mystical blend. Having never encountered such a diverse collection of religious luminaries in a single volume, I was immediately drawn in. As I casually browsed, one poem arrested my attention. It simply stated:
Just sit there right now. Don’t do a thing. Just rest.
For your separation from God is the hardest work in this world.
Let me bring you trays of food and something that you like to drink.
You can use my soft words as a cushion for your head.
—Hafiz(1)
Whether it was the poem’s direct address or its poignant relevance to my emotional state, I felt, as Martin Luther did with Romans 1:17 and Augustine with Romans 13:13–14, that this poem was speaking directly to me. Despite my exhaustion from my initial year in social work, I was fervently searching for truth and striving for a deeper spiritual connection. Hafiz, with unwavering tenderness, urged me to just sit there. To rest. Relief washed over me as I sank to the library floor, losing myself in poem after poem for hours.
The Unique Collection of “Love Poems from God”
Love Poems from God might not be considered a traditional holy scripture, as it represents a contemporary translator’s curated compilation of twelve mystical voices from distinct Catholic, Muslim, and Hindu faiths, spanning centuries. However, aren’t most religious texts, in essence, accumulated over time, woven together from a multitude of voices? One of the most compelling aspects of this anthology is how these poems subtly transcend formal religious differences, pointing towards a universal, omnipresent reality. It’s as if twelve witnesses are offering remarkably similar testimonies about the sacredness of existence, the intricacies of the human heart, and God’s boundless compassion.
The Power of Pet Names for God
Collectively, these poets exhibit a notable fondness for bestowing God with pet names. Nearly all refer to God as “Beloved.” Rumi speaks of “the Friend,” while Hafiz favors “the beautiful one.” Kabir calls God “the physician,” and Teresa of Avila, “the divine medic.” Tukaram playfully mentions “the Old Guy,” and Mira affectionately stays with “lover.” The informal manner in which these poets address the divine sparked a question within me: What glimpse of God, what profound intimacy, inspired these nicknames? Rabia, an eighth-century Islamic saint from Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), explains her personal renaming of God:
Would you come if someone called you by the wrong name?
I wept, because for years He did not enter my arms; then one night I was told a Secret:
Perhaps the name you call God is not really His, maybe it i s just an alias.
I thought about this, and came up with a pet name for my Beloved I never mention to others.
All I can say is— It works.(2)
While I had always cherished the power of language, it had never occurred to me that perhaps my own name for God was too generic, too conventional for ecclesiastical settings, hindering my ability to communicate openly in prayer. If language carries a wealth of associations, often subtle and unconscious, shouldn’t we harness the power of words, and of naming, to more accurately reflect our deeply personal, relational experiences with the divine? Using a pet name for God could be a key to unlocking a more intimate and authentic prayer life.
Intimacy and the Language of Divine Love
As Ladinsky explains in his preface, Love Poems from God is rooted in the shared belief that these holy individuals either experienced union with God or were “so void of self-interest and so full of love for God and humanity that they became holy lutes,”(3) channeling the divine’s voice through their poetry and songs. While divine inspiration isn’t a novel claim, unlike many sacred texts addressing moral and legal matters, this collection focuses solely on the love of God. These poets have been profoundly touched by love and express it abundantly. Although divine love is central to most faith traditions, this poetry made me question if merely hearing, discussing, or pontificating about love, without attempting to describe it in richly human terms, dulls our sensitivity to the word itself. Teresa of Avila, a 16th-century Catholic saint, implores God to “love us in a way our souls can taste and rejoice in.”(4) Her verses then overflow with sensual descriptions of a God who comforts the sorrowful and nurtures at her breast. Teresa is not alone in this expression. Each poet reveals a similar pattern of engaging with the divine with deep intimacy, awe, and even a touch of playfulness. The 16th-century Hindu poet-saint Mira addresses God with the casual familiarity one might use with a high school sweetheart:
You should act more responsible, God, with all that gorgeousness you possess.
You have made all my friends nuts and basically unfit to do much else but dream of you—and plot drawing your mouth close again.
The soup kitchens are complaining about our wisdom of getting drunk all day
on the gossip we share about you. (5)
To articulate the impact of the playful levity and earthy textures of these verses on my spiritual life feels like trying to capture the essence of a blooming rose. They have completely permeated my imagination. However, I can affirm this: they have convinced me that love is not just one of God’s many attributes, but God’s defining characteristic, an unending force. They conveyed this truth in a way that resonates deeply with my soul and brings joy to my very being.
Poetry as a Spiritual Tool and a Path to Connection
Shortly after discovering Love Poems on retreat, I was leading a basic life skills workshop for my clients in recovery. At the workshop’s conclusion, I shared a poem by Thomas Aquinas with the group. One man, known for his frequent anger, approached me afterward with unexpected calmness. He expressed his appreciation for the poem, asked for a copy, and then, with remarkable sincerity, added, “Thank you for bringing poetry into our lives. It helps more than you know.” This encounter made me reflect on poetry’s unique ability to affect us differently than prose. By stripping away unnecessary details, poems create space for meaningful pauses, carefully chosen words, and lasting resonances. They intentionally guide the reader to adopt a more contemplative perspective. For those burdened by addiction or everyday worries, these gentle words can indeed serve as a “cushion for your head.”
Beyond becoming a regular part of my prayer practice, Love Poems from God unveiled poetry’s spiritual potency – its ability to evoke the sacred from the ordinary details of our lives. For me, it is a spiritual exercise not only to read and contemplate poetry, but to allow myself to be so moved by these lyrical glimpses of God that I write my own “love poems” reflecting my experiences with the Divine. Creative writing has become an essential partner to my theological studies and ministry formation. As I share the practice of both reading and writing poetry with others, I increasingly recognize their combined power to minister with sensitivity to diverse individuals and their crucial role in my own ministry practice. Exploring pet names for God within poetry offers a unique pathway to deepen one’s spiritual life and connection with the divine.
MAGGI VAN DORN is a 2008 alum of Santa Clara University, where she studied Religion and English. She served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in San Francisco at the Friendship House Association of American Indians Inc., and graduated from Harvard Divinity School with a Masters of Divinity this spring. She is currently working with the Arrupe International Immersion program at Boston College, and in her free time she is editing The Oracle Body Project, a collection of personal essays that explore the connection between the body and spirituality.
References
- “Hafiz,” in Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and the West, trans. Daniel Ladinsky (New York:Penguin Group, 2002), 150.
- “Rabia,” ibid., 1.
- Daniel Ladinsky, ibid., xii.
- “Teresa of Avila,” ibid., 284
- “Mira,” ibid., 240.
September 26, 2016
