In the spirit of celebrating love, we are diving into the life and work of Rumi, the poet and scholar who famously wrote about the nature of love, spirituality, and passion. His words have had profound influence worldwide in literature, music, art, and spirituality, and his legacy encourages a celebration of love, peace, and compassion.
Rumi was a popular 13th century Turkish-Persian poet and mystic, whose full name was Jalaluddin Muhammad Blakhi. He became better known as “Rumi” which is Arabic for “Roman”, as he spent much of his life in the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum in Anatolia, the previously conquered area of the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire.
Rumi’s experiences throughout his upbringing and adulthood led to an awakening that shaped his outlook on life, which was channeled into his writing. His experience of love, longing, and loss can be found as main themes in his writing.
Love is the Water of Life
Everything other than love for the most beautiful God
though it be sugar- eating
What is agony of the spirit?
To advance toward death without seizing
hold of the Water of Life.
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Rumi was a traditional religious teacher until the age of 37. He found inspiration from Shams Tabrizi, a great Persian scholar, who also became his spiritual mentor and is mentioned with great reverence in his poems. Rumi credited Shams Tabrizi for leading him to a profound and deeper understanding of love and spirituality.
His most notable work is the “Masnavi (Mathnawi)”, which is considered his magnum opus and Persian literature’s greatest series of poems. It is a collection of 6 books on poetry that largely expounds on the themes of divine love, the spiritual journey, and the nature of God.
The poetry in this series epitomizes the timeless and impactful nature of love. His words continue to inspire generations of romantics, writers, and artists alike.
“The minute I heard my first love story,
I started looking for you, not knowing
how blind that was.
Lovers don't finally meet somewhere.
They're in each other all along.”
Another popular work includes the collection of poems named in honor of his spiritual mentor, called the “Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi (Diwan of Shams of Tabriz)”, a collection of his discourse and lectures on spiritual advice and insight, called “Fihi Ma Fihi (In It What's In It)”. This collection also includes other ghazals or lyrical poems focused on themes of love and longing with lyrical beauty and emotional intensity that continue to speak and connect with readers to this day.
“This is love:
to fly toward a secret sky,
to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment.
First, to let go of life.
In the end, to take a step without feet;
to regard this world as invisible,
and to disregard what appears to be the self.Heart, I said, what a gift it has been
to enter this circle of lovers,
to see beyond seeing itself,
to reach and feel within the breast.”
It is no wonder how almost 750 years later, Rumi’s influence and message remains piercing and influential across the world. Although Rumi’s works were originally written in Persian and other languages such as Arabic, Turkish, and Greek, his words, then and now, continue to transcend cultures and borders, beautifully embodying the emotions of the human heart and spirit.
(Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Rumi’s poetry provides an artful, human expression of mystical and emotional experiences that are relatable to all. During this season of love and always, Rumi’s universal messages of peace, compassion, and love continue to inspire the world.
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