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Rumi: Swallowing the Sun: Poems Translated from Persian
Addressing the ultimate desire in mankind for meaning and fulfillment, the poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi transcends temporal and cultural boundaries, providing a rich tapestry of wisdom and beauty for lovers of poetry the world over. Through his writing, the spiritual journey inwards becomes an outward journey into the arms of the all encompassing, a journey towards overcoming the superficialities of life, and towards embracing the divine in everyday experience. Profound and widely admired throughout history, his words are as relevant today as ever, still resonating with contemporary concerns of both East and West alike. Commemorating the 800th anniversary of Rumi’s birth, this beautiful volume draws from the breadth of Rumi’s work, spanning his prolific career from start to finish. From the uplifting to the mellow, it will prove inspirational to both aficionados of Rumi’s work and readers discovering the great poet for the first time.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2007
44 people are currently reading
309 people want to read
About the author
Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi
1,171 books15.6k followersSufism inspired writings of Persian poet and mystic Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi; these writings express the longing of the soul for union with the divine.
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī - also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī, Mevlânâ/Mawlānā (مولانا, "our master"), Mevlevî/Mawlawī (مولوی, "my master") and more popularly simply as Rumi - was a 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian and Sufi mystic who lived in Konya, a city of Ottoman Empire (Today's Turkey). His poems have been widely translated into many of the world's languages, and he has been described as the most popular poet and the best-selling poet in the United States.
His poetry has influenced Persian literature, but also Turkish, Ottoman Turkish, Azerbaijani, Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu, as well as the literature of some other Turkic, Iranian, and Indo-Aryan languages including Chagatai, Pashto, and Bengali.
Due to quarrels between different dynasties in Khorāṣān, opposition to the Khwarizmid Shahs who were considered devious by his father, Bahā ud-Dīn Wālad or fear of the impending Mongol cataclysm, his father decided to migrate westwards, eventually settling in the Anatolian city Konya, where he lived most of his life, composed one of the crowning glories of Persian literature, and profoundly affected the culture of the area.
When his father died, Rumi, aged 25, inherited his position as the head of an Islamic school. One of Baha' ud-Din's students, Sayyed Burhan ud-Din Muhaqqiq Termazi, continued to train Rumi in the Shariah as well as the Tariqa, especially that of Rumi's father. For nine years, Rumi practised Sufism as a disciple of Burhan ud-Din until the latter died in 1240 or 1241. Rumi's public life then began: he became an Islamic Jurist, issuing fatwas and giving sermons in the mosques of Konya. He also served as a Molvi (Islamic teacher) and taught his adherents in the madrassa. During this period, Rumi also travelled to Damascus and is said to have spent four years there.
It was his meeting with the dervish Shams-e Tabrizi on 15 November 1244 that completely changed his life. From an accomplished teacher and jurist, Rumi was transformed into an ascetic.
On the night of 5 December 1248, as Rumi and Shams were talking, Shams was called to the back door. He went out, never to be seen again. Rumi's love for, and his bereavement at the death of, Shams found their expression in an outpouring of lyric poems, Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi. He himself went out searching for Shams and journeyed again to Damascus.
Rumi found another companion in Salaḥ ud-Din-e Zarkub, a goldsmith. After Salah ud-Din's death, Rumi's scribe and favourite student, Hussam-e Chalabi, assumed the role of Rumi's companion. Hussam implored Rumi to write more. Rumi spent the next 12 years of his life in Anatolia dictating the six volumes of this masterwork, the Masnavi, to Hussam.
In December 1273, Rumi fell ill and died on the 17th of December in Konya.
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī - also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī, Mevlânâ/Mawlānā (مولانا, "our master"), Mevlevî/Mawlawī (مولوی, "my master") and more popularly simply as Rumi - was a 13th-century Persian poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian and Sufi mystic who lived in Konya, a city of Ottoman Empire (Today's Turkey). His poems have been widely translated into many of the world's languages, and he has been described as the most popular poet and the best-selling poet in the United States.
His poetry has influenced Persian literature, but also Turkish, Ottoman Turkish, Azerbaijani, Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu, as well as the literature of some other Turkic, Iranian, and Indo-Aryan languages including Chagatai, Pashto, and Bengali.
Due to quarrels between different dynasties in Khorāṣān, opposition to the Khwarizmid Shahs who were considered devious by his father, Bahā ud-Dīn Wālad or fear of the impending Mongol cataclysm, his father decided to migrate westwards, eventually settling in the Anatolian city Konya, where he lived most of his life, composed one of the crowning glories of Persian literature, and profoundly affected the culture of the area.
When his father died, Rumi, aged 25, inherited his position as the head of an Islamic school. One of Baha' ud-Din's students, Sayyed Burhan ud-Din Muhaqqiq Termazi, continued to train Rumi in the Shariah as well as the Tariqa, especially that of Rumi's father. For nine years, Rumi practised Sufism as a disciple of Burhan ud-Din until the latter died in 1240 or 1241. Rumi's public life then began: he became an Islamic Jurist, issuing fatwas and giving sermons in the mosques of Konya. He also served as a Molvi (Islamic teacher) and taught his adherents in the madrassa. During this period, Rumi also travelled to Damascus and is said to have spent four years there.
It was his meeting with the dervish Shams-e Tabrizi on 15 November 1244 that completely changed his life. From an accomplished teacher and jurist, Rumi was transformed into an ascetic.
On the night of 5 December 1248, as Rumi and Shams were talking, Shams was called to the back door. He went out, never to be seen again. Rumi's love for, and his bereavement at the death of, Shams found their expression in an outpouring of lyric poems, Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi. He himself went out searching for Shams and journeyed again to Damascus.
Rumi found another companion in Salaḥ ud-Din-e Zarkub, a goldsmith. After Salah ud-Din's death, Rumi's scribe and favourite student, Hussam-e Chalabi, assumed the role of Rumi's companion. Hussam implored Rumi to write more. Rumi spent the next 12 years of his life in Anatolia dictating the six volumes of this masterwork, the Masnavi, to Hussam.
In December 1273, Rumi fell ill and died on the 17th of December in Konya.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 3, 2016
Rating: 3.5
"I sit silent, lips shut
and yet
I speak volumes
without words
tonight"
I love beautiful poetry and my heart feels enlightened.
"I sit silent, lips shut
and yet
I speak volumes
without words
tonight"
I love beautiful poetry and my heart feels enlightened.
August 26, 2024
some of the translations were a bit oddly phrased but maybe the problem is just the english language (3.5)
December 13, 2013
I bought this because I wanted a semi-scholarly collection of Rumi, something I could use to educate myself a bit more widely than I felt like I was, and to have a stable resource to draw from to teach my students about Rumi.
This book did give me the chance to read a lot more poems by Rumi, and the introduction is a smart, sharply observed essay on the history of translating Rumi and some of the challenges of the task. The poems themselves are what they are, which is mostly pretty great. I didn't find the groupings-- poems of a master to a slave, or poems of dissolution in love, etc-- helpful or unhelpful, really.
But some of the other choices made by the translator were just puzzling-- like, instead of giving titles to the poems, he'll throw an asterisk at the end of the first line of the poem, and then at the bottom of the page, give it a title. Granted, those titles are sort of arbitrary, like "Ghazal 432." But if you're going to include them at all, why not put them someplace where readers expect to find titles? Especially since here, sometimes it's hard to know at first glance if when you turn the page whether you're reading the same poem or a new one. I figured it out quickly enough, but it seems like I shouldn't even have been wondering.
There are notes at the end, and some helpful explanations in the beginning, but neither are very user friendly-- the nuggets you are looking for are, in both cases, surrounded by a lot of unrelated material. The notes aren't presented, then, in any systematic way, but are anecdotal, reflective of process, etc. They're more commentary than resource or gloss; I like commentary, really, but I feel like this could have been organized better.
I do think the translations were often good-- the language and phrasing is electric. So there's that.
This book did give me the chance to read a lot more poems by Rumi, and the introduction is a smart, sharply observed essay on the history of translating Rumi and some of the challenges of the task. The poems themselves are what they are, which is mostly pretty great. I didn't find the groupings-- poems of a master to a slave, or poems of dissolution in love, etc-- helpful or unhelpful, really.
But some of the other choices made by the translator were just puzzling-- like, instead of giving titles to the poems, he'll throw an asterisk at the end of the first line of the poem, and then at the bottom of the page, give it a title. Granted, those titles are sort of arbitrary, like "Ghazal 432." But if you're going to include them at all, why not put them someplace where readers expect to find titles? Especially since here, sometimes it's hard to know at first glance if when you turn the page whether you're reading the same poem or a new one. I figured it out quickly enough, but it seems like I shouldn't even have been wondering.
There are notes at the end, and some helpful explanations in the beginning, but neither are very user friendly-- the nuggets you are looking for are, in both cases, surrounded by a lot of unrelated material. The notes aren't presented, then, in any systematic way, but are anecdotal, reflective of process, etc. They're more commentary than resource or gloss; I like commentary, really, but I feel like this could have been organized better.
I do think the translations were often good-- the language and phrasing is electric. So there's that.
May 14, 2017
Tertarik untuk mendapatkan buku ini selepas menelaah Rumi - Past and Present, East and West: The Life, Teachings, and Poetry of Jalâl al-Din Rumi karya Franklin D. Lewis yang juga penterjemah karya Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi ini. Sekali lalu, penterjemahannya amat menyenangkan meskipun kita akan terlepas daripada keindahan bentuk tetapi keunggulan makna pada karya Maulana Rumi tentunya akan dapat kita tangkap kerana ia diterjemah oleh sarjana yang memang seorang pengkaji yang teliti dan luas.
Buku ini memuatkan petikan puisi Maulana Rumi daripada Mathnawi dan ghazal Diwan Shams at-Tabriz yang karya keduanya mengandungi makna yang lebih halus dan dalam. Justeru cara terbaik untuk membaca buku ini adalah dengan membaca satu petikan sekitar satu hingga tiga halaman dengan melakukan renungan yang mendalam tanpa menafikan pandangan alam Islam yang holistik dalam menelaahnya.
Pembahagian bab memberikan gambaran awal kepada petikan pesan dan pengalaman cinta kerohanian yang dikecap oleh Maulana Rumi, manakala sebahagian petikan pula ada rujukan di bahagian belakang yang membantu pembaca untuk memahami bukan saja konteks, bahkan istilah tertentu yang mungkin sukar.
Buku ini tidak syak lagi adalah karya yang patut diulang baca dari semasa ke semasa.
Buku ini memuatkan petikan puisi Maulana Rumi daripada Mathnawi dan ghazal Diwan Shams at-Tabriz yang karya keduanya mengandungi makna yang lebih halus dan dalam. Justeru cara terbaik untuk membaca buku ini adalah dengan membaca satu petikan sekitar satu hingga tiga halaman dengan melakukan renungan yang mendalam tanpa menafikan pandangan alam Islam yang holistik dalam menelaahnya.
Pembahagian bab memberikan gambaran awal kepada petikan pesan dan pengalaman cinta kerohanian yang dikecap oleh Maulana Rumi, manakala sebahagian petikan pula ada rujukan di bahagian belakang yang membantu pembaca untuk memahami bukan saja konteks, bahkan istilah tertentu yang mungkin sukar.
Buku ini tidak syak lagi adalah karya yang patut diulang baca dari semasa ke semasa.
March 20, 2019
PERFECT TRANSLATIONS OF RUMI!
July 27, 2023
You are my sky, I am the earth, dumbfounded:
what things you sprout from my heart each moment!
I’m parched earth, rain down on me drops of grace,
for your water makes the earth grow rosy
What does the earth know what you sow in it?
you made it pregnant, you know what it bears
every atom pregnant with your mysteries –
you make it writhe a while in pangs of birth
What marvels writhe to birth through the world-womb:
An “I am God,” the call “Glory to me”
– from Ghazal 3048.
what things you sprout from my heart each moment!
I’m parched earth, rain down on me drops of grace,
for your water makes the earth grow rosy
What does the earth know what you sow in it?
you made it pregnant, you know what it bears
every atom pregnant with your mysteries –
you make it writhe a while in pangs of birth
What marvels writhe to birth through the world-womb:
An “I am God,” the call “Glory to me”
– from Ghazal 3048.
December 29, 2007
At last... out of the fluffy romanticized versions we get of this great Poet and Spiritual Master's work, a tasty yet true translation of the poems of Rumi we can count on, by admittedly more of a scholar than a poet (one hat off to Coleman Barks in this regard), but knows the original language of Rumi's poetry and transmits the grit of his inspirations...
Read
September 18, 2017“Living lacks joy without you
dying lacks joy without you
How can I clear my mind of care for you?
I cannot manage without you.
Whatever I say, my source,
reveals my strengths and faults
So please, be gracious!
and repeat with me:
I cannot manage without you.”
dying lacks joy without you
How can I clear my mind of care for you?
I cannot manage without you.
Whatever I say, my source,
reveals my strengths and faults
So please, be gracious!
and repeat with me:
I cannot manage without you.”
January 21, 2011
My first intro to the Sufi great . Thsi version includes a good selection of his poems. The translation is lyrical.
July 20, 2012
Awesome <3
December 19, 2013
Jalal al-Din Rumi wrote from an inspired heart...
August 10, 2025
Interesting section on translating texts- made me think about how it is almost an art in itself. The section really put emphasis on the key role of the translator in ensuring that poems (or text in general) are conveyed in an intentional way- and also discussed how different translators have different styles themselves (so cool to think about). I thought that this section was really interesting and thought-provoking (provoked many thoughts and still is) as I hadn't really thought about the extent to which translators impact art when translating from the original language.
idk really random part of the book to stand out but I'm still thinking about the role of translators of anything (tv/poems/stories...) - and how they themselves can influence/contribute towards the overall message/picture painted by the original writer- and how different translators may add to stories differently, with their own flair. super cool and fun to think about - I'm thinking a lot rn.
idk really random part of the book to stand out but I'm still thinking about the role of translators of anything (tv/poems/stories...) - and how they themselves can influence/contribute towards the overall message/picture painted by the original writer- and how different translators may add to stories differently, with their own flair. super cool and fun to think about - I'm thinking a lot rn.
August 23, 2018
''Today I saw him
the friend
the glow in every deed
He was gliding on the heavens like
the soul of Mustafa
The sun before his face: ashamed
The celestial globe: latticed by stars, like my tattered heart
From his radiating splendor, water and clay beam brighter than fire
Show me a ladder, I said
so I can clamber onto the heavens
Your head is the ladder, he said
Plant your head under your heels
As you set foot on your own head
you step above the stars
Once you’ve staved in your lust
let your feet lift you up in the air. Come!
Up in the heavens, in the air
a hundred roads unfold before you
You’ll fly over the sky
every morning
like a prayer''
the friend
the glow in every deed
He was gliding on the heavens like
the soul of Mustafa
The sun before his face: ashamed
The celestial globe: latticed by stars, like my tattered heart
From his radiating splendor, water and clay beam brighter than fire
Show me a ladder, I said
so I can clamber onto the heavens
Your head is the ladder, he said
Plant your head under your heels
As you set foot on your own head
you step above the stars
Once you’ve staved in your lust
let your feet lift you up in the air. Come!
Up in the heavens, in the air
a hundred roads unfold before you
You’ll fly over the sky
every morning
like a prayer''
August 12, 2024
3.5🌟 I was certainly at a disadvantage reading this poetry collection. I imagine if you're well versed with the Muslim religion, you would enjoy this far more. What I did understand, I loved. At the end of the book The notes on the poems were a big help. I wish I had noticed this section before I began this reading journey.
September 30, 2017
This was my 'contribution' to National Poetry Day but must admit I found it rather hard going. Parts of the introduction, which I thought would give me some insight and understanding of the poetry to come, were totally over my head and incomprehensible.
October 6, 2025
This may have been a highly accurate translation, as the author purports, but for me it was not a beautiful one. Will try Rumi another time in another translation to find out if it's just the original that doesn't strike me.
March 14, 2021
Excellent translation, great introduction, but always room for more poems to be translated. My favourite ghazal from this translation is # 2309; thank you Prof Franklin!!
March 31, 2023
I love Rumi's collection of poetry. It's.... soulful.
January 1, 2024
Magical words.
February 3, 2019
When will I ever see the am that I am?
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews