Love’s Last Madness 

Poems on a Spiritual Path 

by Darshan Singh

Revised Edition

Translation and Commentary

by Barry Lerner and Harbans Singh Bedi

Epigraph Books, Rhinebeck, NY

© 2018, Barry Lerner

ISBN 978-1-948796-38-5 (softcover)

ISBN 978-1-948796-39-2 (e-book)

Love’s Last Madness, a translation of 88 poems in the Sufi tradition selected from Darshan Singh’s magnum opus Matā‘-e Nūr (Treasure House of Light), sings of the torments and ecstasies the lover of God experiences on the journey to divine realization. Remarkable for masterfully fulfilling his worldly responsibilities while immersing himself in his mystic quest, Darshan Singh (1921–1989) was a renowned spiritual teacher with tens of thousands of students around the globe. Four-time winner of a prestigious Urdu academy award for poetry in India, he has been acclaimed by critics as one of the greatest mystical poets in the Urdu language.

Praise for Love’s Last Madness by Scholars and Critics

Sant Darshan Singh represents the best in the historic interaction of mysticism with Indo-Persian aesthetics. In the tradition of the greatest Sufi masters and poets, his passionate love takes him to the realm where the divine reality is no longer a distant transcendence. Those who love Rumi and Hafiz will love Darshan Singh, whose sublime spirit shines through these faithful yet poetic translations. – Mumtaz Ahmad, late Executive Director of the Iqbal International Institute for Research and Dialogue, Islamabad, and Professor of Political Science, Hampton University 

Metaphors convey the vision of the spiritual life in flashes that can be immediately apprehended. This is just what poetry is, and Sant Darshan Singh is a master of that. Translators Lerner and Bedi, through lively, natural expressions and a simple, polished style, have achieved an admirable closeness to the original Urdu verses. – Shaligram Shukla, Professor of Linguistics, Georgetown University 

These poems are quite literally inspiriting. Precise and surprising metaphors refresh the reader on every page. Any reader who delights in poetry will be delighted by Darshan Singh. The translators’ introduction, commentaries, and notes are an education in themselves. – John Michael, Professor of English and Visual and Cultural Studies, University of Rochester

Darshan Singh conveys the nuances of divine romance with such variety, command and sensitivity that it is apparent his poetic muse springs from direct mystical experience, not mere literary imagination. His artistic genius enables him, like Rumi of old, to impart the timeless, haunting fragrance of the inner spiritual realms while retaining its heart-warming humanity and contemporary relevance. – Eliot Jay Rosen, author of the Los Angeles Times best-selling book Experiencing the Soul – Before Birth, During Life, After Death and coauthor of The Compassionate Diet.

Having grown up in a Sufi household in Africa, I strongly urge readers to feed themselves from this spiritual meal cooked in the mystical kitchen of Darshan Singh. – Sulayman S. Nyang, Professor Emeritus of African Studies, Howard University, Washington, DC 

© 2001–2023, Barry Lerner. All rights reserved.