Rumi's major poetic work, the Matnawiye Ma'nawi (spiritual couplets), is widely considered to be one of the greatest works of mystical poetry and is regarded by some Sufis to be the Persian language Qur'an. The Diwani Shamsi Tabrizi (works of Shams Tabrizi), his other major work, contains more than forty-thousand verses and is one of the greatest works of Persian literature. Though he wrote these sublime lyrics in the thirteenth century, Rumi remains one of the most widely read poets today.
A selection of his timeless poems is read for you here by Shyama Perera, a gifted journalist, broadcaster, and novelist.
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Jalal ad–Din ar–Rumi (1207–1273), or simply Rumi, was a thirteenth-century poet, theologian, and Sufi mystic. He was perhaps the finest Persian poet of all time and a great influence on Muslim writing and culture. While he led a fairly ordinary life until the age of thirty-five, after meeting and subsequently losing his great friend and Sufi teacher Shams, Rumi was moved to emit his soul through poetry. With Shams influence, he became filled with the love of God.
Rumi is considered today to be a love poet and many translations of his work have become mere love poems. Though love is an overwhelming part of Rumi’s work, the love he speaks of is a higher love for God, not for humans. Nevertheless, the imagery and language he uses has proved to be universal and enduring and he continues to be one of the best-selling poets in America.
Shyama Perera is an established print journalist and author of three well-received novels and a short history of contraception. Her essays and short stories are published in numerous anthologies. In recent years she has expressed her love of theater through membership of the Olivier Awards panel, and is a regular reviewer for the Archant group of newspapers. She runs a well-received reviews blog,Monkey Matters Theatre. Shyama has narrated several audiobooks of South Indian poetry.