The Quatrains of Rumi

This is the first complete translation into English of the nearly two thousand quatrains attributed to Jalaluddin Rumi, the famous thirteenth century Persian mystical poet. Less attention has been given by scholars to his quatrains than to the rhymed couplets in his Masnavi) and the odes in his Divan). Instead, what has been available are mostly distorted and popularized versions of the quatrains that are often made by authors who do not read Persian. The present book addresses this deficit by providing accurate translations and plentiful explanations made through the collaboration of two Rumi scholars: Rawan Farhadi (an Afghan) and Ibrahim Gamard (an American). The quatrains are ordered into numerous stages and themes of the mystical path of the “ lover” and the “ beloved” (the spiritual disciple and Sufi master). A. J. Arberry, the renowned British Rumi scholar (and author of Mystical Poems of Rumi), wrote about Rumi’ s quatrains: “ … after taking into account all the requisites of literary appreciation and criticism, we may reckon in the neighborhood of 500 of these ruba‘ iyat as among the finest masterpieces of Persian literature.” William C. Chittick, the American Rumi scholar (and author of The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teaching of Rumi), wrote about the present book: “ This most welcome addition to the literature on Rumi is the fruit of many years of collaborative effort by two dedicated scholars, both of whom are thoroughly familiar with Rumi’ s historical, cultural, and religious context. Until now, Rumi’ s quatrains have received little attention from scholars, yet they sum up his teachings in pithy and moving form.” Coleman Barks, the American poet and well-known Rumi popularizer (and author of The Essential Rumi), wrote: “ Ibrahim and Rawan, are scholars of the purest ray, thorough and impeccable, precise, and generous. This book that they have put together, The Quatrains of Rumi, should be on the shelves of anyone who loves Rumi and what Rumi loves. Their scholarly apparatus is masterful and complete. Their Notes are layered and Mystical. They understand from the inside out Rumi’ s central ecstatic insight: that just to be in a body and conscious is cause for rapture. Their understanding of Rumi’ s poetry is experiential. The authority they bring to this text is whole and gorgeous. They feel the music of the language and they communicate that subtlety with consummate skill.”

Rawan Farhadi (b. 1929) received Sufi knowledge from his father, Abdul Baqi, a disciple in the Naqshbandi Sufi Tradition in Kabul, Afghanistan. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Paris and spent years studying and editing classical Persian Sufi poetry. He knew and exchanged views with several well-known Rumi scholars, such as Salahuddin Saljuqi, and translator É va de Vitray-Meyerovitch. He taught Persian Literature at three universities, was the Afghan Ambassador to France in 1973 and to the UN from 1993-2006, and is the author of Abdullah Ansari of Herat: An Early Sufi Master. Ibrahim Gamard received his Ph.D. in 1986. He has studied Sufism for over forty years and has been affiliated with the Mevlevi tradition of Islamic Sufism (which originated with Rumi himself) since 1976. He taught himself to read classical Persian for the purpose of studying Rumi’ s poetry, and in 2007, he was made a Mevlevi Shaykh. Many of his translations of Rumi’ s verses are on his website: www.dar-al-masnavi.org. He is the author of Rumi and Islam: Selections from His Stories, Poems, and Discourses (2004) and editor and co-author of Sultan Walad: In the Footsteps of Rumi and Shams (2022).

LIST OF CONTENTS: Bilingual format (the translation of every quatrain is preceded by the corresponding Persian text). Foreword, Preface to Second Edition, Preface to First Edition, Introduction, Quatrains (ordered according to 135 themes), Chapter One through Five: Some Themes of Mawlana’ s Life, Love of the Human Beloved, Metaphorical Love Becoming Real Love, Divine Love, Advice to the Disciple and Aspirant; Appendices I-IX: Arabic Quatrains, Concordance of Previously Published Translations and Versions, Quatrains Incorrectly Attributed to Mawlana, Manual of Islamic And Islamic Sufi Terms Used in Persian Poetry, Transliterations, Abbreviations, Indices of Names and Persian and Arabic Terms, Index of Paired Terms, Bibliography, About the Translators. Quatrains: 1 – 1983 List of Major Themes Chapter 1: Some Themes of Mawlana’ s Life: Poetry, Religious Practices, The Seasons, Various Kinds of People, The Call of Love Chapter 2: Qualities of the Beloved, The Conduct of the Beloved, States of the Lover, The Lover Speaks to the Beloved Chapter 3: Qualities of the Beloved, Conduct of the Beloved, States of the Lover, At the Threshold of Real Love, Discourses with the Beloved, Chapter 4: Divine Love: The High State of Humanity, In the Presence of God, The Desire for Union, The States of the Lover, Devotional Prayers, Chapter 5: Advice to the Disciple and Aspirant; Be with the Lovers, The Mystical Concert and Music and Whirling, Transcend Desires and the Body, Detach from the World and Be with God, Divine Love, The Beloved is Within, Annihilation of self in God, The Divine Response