Persian Sufi Poet and Mystical Thinker
Rumi (1207–1273) was a 13th-century Persian Sufi mystical poet whose masterwork, the Masnavi, expounds in verse the mystical experience of union with the divine, stressing that love is the path to God. The "Mevlevi Order" he founded practices the whirling dance (the whirling dervishes) as a method of meditation to this day. Rumi’s poetry, in modern English translation, is widely beloved in the West and among the most-read poetry in the world today, though scholars caution that many popular English versions are heavily paraphrased and depart from the Persian original and its deep Islamic theological background.
Tradition records that Rumi was a respected religious scholar until he met the wandering dervish Shams of Tabriz, and the profound spiritual bond between them wholly changed Rumi, turning him from a rigorous scholar into a seeker of poetry and mystical experience. Shams later vanished mysteriously, and Rumi’s longing and grief poured into a great body of verse.
Rumi’s poetry, in modern English translation, is widely beloved in the West and among the most-read poetry in the world today, but scholars caution that many popular English versions (such as Coleman Barks’) are heavily paraphrased and depart from the Persian original and its deep Islamic Sufi theological background; this site suggests reading against the original meaning.
Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.
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