Beautiful poetry. I love that this is a translation of old poems because it brings them new life. Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful poem collection! I was concerned upon learning that it was a translation because sometimes that leads to poems not flowing as smoothly but they did a fantastic job. These poems are heart wrenching and spell binding and so impactful. Throughout the e-book I found myself screen capturing to save some of these poems for later.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC for an honest review.

This translated collection proves to me that poetry is the universal language. I fully expected these poems to feel distant, to be dry and esoteric, or perhaps quirky with their Buddhist lens and historical distance, but instead I found myself in tears.

The truths in this work struck me hard. Weingast managed to preserve the piercing clarity of these nuns despite the poems being over 2000 years old. I felt seen. I felt as if each one of these poems were a tender hand reaching forward from the past to guide me through shadow-work and the anxieties of the modern world.

In an age of IG poets, this book is immensely quotable.

“How could this world possibly give you what you’re looking for when it’s so busy falling apart – just like you?”

I kept bookmarking phrases and stanzas to return to later. Despite receiving this e-book in exchange for an honest review, I will be buying a paper copy to carry with me and write in. Each poem is its own journal prompt and meditative focus. I loved it, and only wish it had been longer.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advanced copy of this poetry collection in exchange for an honest review.

This is a new translation of poems by the first Buddhist nuns. This translation feels special. It comes from the heart rather than being a technical one. I have not read any other versions of these poems but I deeply connected with Weingast’s interpretations. The poetry in these pages is spellbinding. Not just because it is an incredible historical witness account but also because it is inspiringly raw, emotional, and feminist. These women came from all walks of life – mothers, trophy wives, and prostitutes just to name a few – and their journeys are reflected in this collection. Their words do not sugar-coat their struggle. The women aren’t hiding their pasts. Instead, they build on it and share their paths and their growth with us, the readers. Yet, they don’t just present the solution. No, …. that one is found in between the lines, hidden among allegories and metaphors, experienced through their word choices and emotional undertones of the poems themselves. Even if you don’t identify with their religion, The First Free Women are all of us. I dare you to tell me you cannot relate to at least a single poem in this book!

The Therigatha (“Verses of the Elder Nuns”) is the oldest collection of known writings from Buddhist women and one of the earliest collections of women’s literature in India. This collection is a new translation that should resonate with modern readers. The poems are powerful as these women - wives, mothers, prostitutes, and others - find their voices and meaning by devoting their life to Buddhism and the Way.