Rumi poems and biography

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A seventeenth-century illustration for Rumi’s epic poem “Masnavi.” Rumi is often called a mystic, a saint, an enlightened man. He is less frequently described as a Muslim.PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM

A couple of years ago, when Coldplay’s Chris Martin was going through a divorce from the actress Gwyneth Paltrow and feeling down, a friend gave him a book to lift his spirits. It was a collection of poetry by Jalaluddin Rumi, the thirteenth-century Persian poet, translated by Coleman Barks. “It kind of changed my life,” Martin said later, in an interview. A track from Coldplay’s most recent album features Barks reciting one of the poems: “This being human is a guest house / Every morning a new arrival / A joy, a depression, a meanness, / some momentary awareness comes / as an unexpected visitor.”

Rumi has helped the spiritual journeys of other celebrities—Madonna, Tilda Swinton—some of whom similarly incorporated his work into theirs. Aphorisms attributed to Rumi ci

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Rumi

Sufi scholar and poet (1207–1273)

For other uses, see Rumi (disambiguation).

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How Rumi Became a Poet

Rumi was a preacher before he was a poet. Born into a line of Islamic theologians, he was a celebrity delivering sermons to hordes of följare by the time he was 38. Eloquent and magnetic, dressed in a crown turban and silk robe, he evangelized in mosques and theological institutions throughout Konya. Disciples and admirers from Nishapur to Damascus to Mecca called him Molana—our Master.

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He was growing weary of fame. It was a trap, he would later suggest in his writings, as was dogma, as were the obsessions with title, rank, and prestige that plagued the religious and scholarly milieu. While touting self-transcendence, sheikhs and scholars pined for robes of honor and, as size indicated status, some stuffed their turbans with rags. Rumi longed for release from this stifling world, for a friend and seer unfettered bygd its concerns, for honest and något privat eller personligt conversation. He hungered to actually feel what he call

Mawlānā, Mevlânâ Rumi
Rumi, by Iranian artist Hossein Behzad (1957)
Title	Jalaluddin, jalāl al-Din,^[1]Mevlana, Mawlana
Born	30 September 1207 Balkh (present-day Afghanistan)^[2] or Wakhsh (present-day Tajikistan),^[3]^[4]Khwarezmian Empire
Died	17 December 1273 (aged 66) Konya (present-day Turkey), Sultanate of Rum
Resting place	Tomb of Mevlana Rumi, Mevlana Museum, Konya, Turkey
Nationality	Khwarezmian Empire, then Sultanate of Rum
Home town	Wakhsh (present-day Tajikistan) or Balkh present-day Afghanistan
Spouse	Gevher Khatun, Karra Khatun
Children	Sultan Walad, Ulu Arif Chelebi, Amir Alim Chelebi, Malike Khatun.
Parents	Baha al-Din Valad (father) Mo'mena Khatun (mother)
Era	Islamic Golden Age (7th Islamic century)
Main interest(s)	Sufi poetry, Hanafi jurisprudence, Maturidi theology