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Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore

ダニエル・アブダル＝ハイ・ムーア

Danieru Abudaru-Hai Mūa

Aliases: Daniel Moore
Pen Names: Abdal-Hayy（Name adopted after conversion to Islam (Sufi tradition), later merged with birth name）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1940-07-30 （Oakland, California, United States）
Died
2016-04-18 （Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States） age 75
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Sufi tradition of Islam Baptized in 1970 （Baptismal Name: Abdal-Hayy）
Residence History
Morocco (residence, periods) → Spain (residence, periods) → Algeria (residence, periods) → Nigeria (residence, periods) → Santa Barbara, California, United States → Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Career

Occupations
poet, essayist, librettist, playwright, editor
Active Years
1964-2016
Affiliations
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship
Memberships
Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship
Influenced By
Sufi thought / Islamic mysticism, Mahmoud Darwish (poet; Moore edited translations), American Beat poets (influence)

Awards

American Book Award
2013
Work: Blood Songs
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Dawn Visions

1964 Poetry

Early collection of poems demonstrating experimental and spiritual themes of the 1960s.

spiritualitynatureearly experimental poetry

The Ramadan Sonnets

1996 Poetry

A series of sonnets inspired by Islamic spirituality and the month of Ramadan, incorporating Sufi meditative concerns.

Sufismreligious practiceinner exploration

The Blind Beekeeper

2001 Poetry

A work blending poetry and narrative; portions were set to music for voice and piano/chamber ensemble.

narrative poetrycollaboration with musicspirituality
Adaptations
  • [Music (art song / setting)] The Blind Beekeeper (musical setting) / W. A. Mathieu (2003)

Blood Songs

2012 Poetry collection

A mature collection exploring autobiographical elements, spirituality, and human relationships.

losstransformationspirituality

Bibliography

  • Dawn Visions (1964)
  • This Body of Black Light (1965)
  • Burnt Heart (1971)
  • The Desert is the Only Way Out (1985)
  • The Ramadan Sonnets (1996)
  • The Blind Beekeeper, Poems (2001)
  • Blood Songs (2012)
  • Miracle Songs for the Millennium (2014)

Adaptations

  • Musical settings of The Blind Beekeeper (settings by W. A. Mathieu and others)
  • Text for the oratorio 'Rainforest' by Henry Brant

Translations by Author

  • Editor/translator supervisor for collections of Mahmoud Darwish's poems

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Sufi-inflected, mystical poetic voicelyrical yet conversational dictionfrequent use of experimental and fragmentary imagery
Recurring Motifs
Sufism and spiritualitypilgrimage and travelnature, bees and related imagerytransformation and loss

Legacy

Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore was an American poet active from the 1960s whose conversion to Sufism in 1970 deeply influenced his work. He self-published extensively, collaborated with musicians, edited translations (notably of Mahmoud Darwish), and won the American Book Award in 2013 for Blood Songs. He is regarded as an important voice in contemporary English-language Sufi poetry.

Archives

  • UCSB Special Collections, University of California, Santa Barbara (holds related author/publisher materials)

In Popular Culture

  • Mentioned in music and cultural reviews in the 1960s–70s in connection with the Floating Lotus Magic Opera Company
  • Subject of obituaries, reviews and retrospective pieces in poetry and Sufi-related media

Trivia

  • Converted to Islam (Sufi tradition) in 1970 and adopted the name Abdal-Hayy.
  • Buried at the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship Cemetery in Pennsylvania.
  • Self-published much of his work and produced a wide range of writings including poetry, plays, children's works, and texts for musical settings.