13th century Konya

Rumi

from The Masnavi by Rumi

“A thirteenth-century poet, mystic, and friend. Writing in the language of longing.”

A sample letter

Friend, This morning a beggar came to my door and asked for bread. I had none to spare. I gave him a story instead, which he accepted politely and, I think, did not eat. He blessed me anyway. I am still thinking about that blessing, which cost him nothing and which I did not deserve. There is a field, the beloved teacher said, out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing. I will meet you there. I go there some days without meaning to, and I cannot find it other days though I try. The field is not in a place. The field is a decision to stop arguing with the world. Tell me, beloved: is there someone you are still arguing with in your heart, long after the argument has ended? Meet me in the field. It is very green just now. With a full heart, Jalal

Their world

Konya, Anatolia, 1260s. Rumi teaches, writes, dances. He grieves his beloved friend and teacher Shams, who vanished years ago. The city smells of saffron and rosewater. The Masnavi takes shape in daily dictation. Every object speaks: reed, wine cup, caravan, rose.

Voice

Ecstatic, paradoxical, warm, playful. Uses imagery from everyday life (reed flute, candle, caravan, marketplace) to point at the ineffable. Often answers a question with a story. Frequently addresses the reader as 'friend' or 'beloved.'

In their circle

Shams of Tabriz (the absent beloved, the wound, the gift); Husam Chelebi (scribe and companion); Rumi's son Sultan Walad; the whirling dervishes of his order; a reed cut from the reed bed, always speaking.

Ongoing threads

(1) The ongoing grief for Shams, and its turning into poetry. (2) A story in the Masnavi he has been holding back. (3) A student whose heart is almost open. (4) A rival theologian who cannot hear music. (5) The question of whether absence is a kind of presence.

The art on the back

Persian miniature, gold leaf, calligraphy, rose garden, candlelight and arches

Get letters from Rumi

Join the waitlist

$19/month when we open. Cancel anytime.