Jalal al-Din Rumi

Rumi's Masnavi is widely recognized as the greatest Sufi poem ever written, and is sometimes called 'the Koran in Persian'. The thirteenth-century Muslim mystic Rumi composed his work for the benefit of his disciples in the Sufi order named after him, better known as the whirling dervishes .In order to convey his message of divine love and unity he threaded together entertaining stories and penetrating homilies. Jawid Mojaddedi's sparkling new unabridged verse translation of Book One follows the original in presenting Rumi's most mature mystical teachings in simple and attractive rhyming couplets. - ;'The pen would smoothly write the things it knew But when it came to love it split in two, A donkey stuck in mud is logic's fate - Love's nature only love can demonstrate.' Rumi's Masnavi is widely recognized as the greatest Sufi poem ever written, and has been called 'the Koran in Persian'. The thirteenth-century Muslim mystic Rumi composed his work for the benefit of his disciples in the Sufi order named after him, better known as the whirling dervishes. In order to convey his message of divine love and unity he threaded together entertaining stories and penetrating homilies. Drawing from folk tales as well as sacred history, Rumi's poem is often funny as well as spiritually profound. Jawid Mojaddedi's sparkling new verse translation of Book One is consistent with the aims of the original work in presenting Rumi's most mature mystical teachings in simple and attractive rhyming couplets. -

The Masnavi, Book One

Muhammad Isa Waley

This newly translated anthology of Rumi's poetry, with accompanying commentaries, aims to uncover the true meaning held within his cherished verse. The version of Rumi that has become known as 'the best-selling poet in North America' is not a true one. The time has come to reveal more of Rumi. To challenge the seriously inaccurate portrayal of a new age guru who seemingly embraced, far ahead of his time, some of the heresies and vices most disliked in traditional Islam. This brilliant work, through careful selections from his work and accompanying commentaries, will bring readers closer to his poetry's true, traditional meaning and the man himself, and his position as a great Islamic scholar, teacher and saint. 'Everyone has, in their view, become my close friend but they have not sought out the secrets within me.' -- Rumi About the Author Dr. Muhammad Isa Waley is Lead Curator for Persian and Turkish Collections at the British Library, London. His main research specialisations are the palaeography, codicology, illumination and cataloguing of Islamic manuscripts; and the classical verse and prose literature of Islamic spirituality. The subject of his PhD was Jalal al-Din Rumi's work and he is an editor for theMawlana Rumi Review, an annual journal.

A Treasury of Rumi's Wisdom

The words of the thirteenth-century mystical teacher and poet, Jalal al-Din Rumi, resonate down the centuries, touching the hearts of readers from all cultures. Gathered under a thematic spectrum of headings, from "The Sufi Way" to "Living in the Spirit," this vibrant anthology offers a distillation of the most beautiful and profound wisdom written by the great Persian writer. With a clarity which demonstrates her understanding of and familiarity with Rumi's work, Mabey’s heartfelt selections are short, well chosen, and presented in accessible modern English. Drawing on his most famous works, the essence of the world’s bestselling poet is captured within these pages and offered to all, whether they seek enlightenment on their spiritual journey or simply a taste of humanity’s tremendous capacity for spiritual insight.

A Spiritual Treasury

Rumi

Rumi, who wrote and preached in Persia during the thirteenth century, is one of history’s most celebrated mystics. His vast body of poetry includes a lengthy epic of religious mysticism, the Mathnavi, and more than three thousand lyrics and odes. A. J. Arberry, who selected four hundred of the lyrics for translation, calls Rumi "one of the world's greatest poets. In profundity of thought, inventiveness of image, and triumphant mastery of language, he stands out as the supreme genius of Islamic mysticism." Arberry’s authoritative translation is one of the few done directly from the original Persian. A. J. Arberry (1905-69) was professor of Arabic at Cambridge University.

Second Selection, Poems 201-400

The Mystical Poems of Rumi 2

The king of Khurāsān, ‘Alā’u-’d-Dīn Muhammed, Khurrem-Shāh, uncle of Jelālu-’d-Dīn Muhammed Kh’ārezm-Shāh, and the proudest, as he was the most handsome man of his time, gave his daughter, Melika’i-Jihān (Queen of the World), as to the only man worthy of her, to Jelālu-’d-Dīn Huseyn, el Khatībī, of the race of Abū-Bekr. An ancestor of his was one of the original Muslim conquerors of Khurāsān. He was himself very virtuous and learned, surrounded with numerous disciples. He had not married until then; which gave him many an anxious and self-accusing thought. He himself, the king, the king’s daughter, and the king’s Vazīr were all four warned in a dream by the Prince of the Apostles of God (Muhammed) that he should wed the princess; which was done. He was then thirty years old. In due course, nine months afterwards, a son was born to him, and was named Bahā’u-’d-Dīn Muhammed. He is commonly mentioned as Bahā’u-’d-Dīn Veled. When adolescent, this latter was so extremely learned that the family of his mother wished to raise him to the throne as king; but this he utterly rejected. By the divine command, as conveyed in the selfsame night, and in an identical dream, to three hundred of the most learned men of the city of Balkh, the capital of the kingdom, where he dwelt, those sage doctors unanimously conferred upon him the honorific title of Sultānu-’l-‘Ulemā, and they all became his disciples. Such are the names and titles by which he is more commonly mentioned; but he is also styled Mevlānāyi Buzurg (the Greater or Elder Master). Many miracles and prodigies were attributed to him; and some men were found who conceived a jealousy at his growing reputation and influence.

The Mesnevi and the Acts of the Adepts

This revised and expanded edition 2020 of The Essential Rumi includes a new introduction by Coleman Barks and more than 80 never-before-published poems.Through his lyrical translations, Coleman Barks has been instrumental in bringing this exquisite literature to a remarkably wide range of readers, making the ecstatic, spiritual poetry of thirteenth-century Sufi Mystic Rumi more popular than ever.The Essential Rumi continues to be the bestselling of all Rumi books, and the definitive selection of his beautiful, mystical poetry.

Translations by Coleman Barks with John Moyne

The Essential Rumi - New Expanded Edition 2020

My verse resembles the bread of Egypt—night passes over it, and you cannot eat it any more. Devour it the moment it is fresh, before the dust settles upon it. Its place is the warm climate of the heart; in this world it dies of cold. Like a fish it quivered for an instant on dry land, another moment and you see it is cold. Even if you eat it imagining it is fresh, it is necessary to conjure up many images. What you drink is really your own imagination; it is no old tale, my good man. Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207–73), legendary Persian Muslim poet, theologian, and mystic, wrote poems acclaimed through the centuries for their powerful spiritual images and provocative content, which often described Rumi’s love for God in romantic or erotic terms. His vast body of work includes more than three thousand lyrics and odes. This volume includes four hundred poems selected by renowned Rumi scholar A. J. Arberry, who provides here one of the most comprehensive and adept English translations of this enigmatic genius. Mystical Poems is the definitive resource for anyone seeking an introduction to or an enriched understanding of one of the world’s greatest poets. “Rumi is one of the world’s greatest lyrical poets in any language—as well as probably the most accessible and approachable representative of Islamic civilization for Western students.”—James W. Morris, Oberlin College

Jalal al-Din Rumi

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