Spiritual Verses: The First Book of the Masnavi-Ye Ma'navi

The spiritual masterpiece of the Persian Sufi tradition in a brilliant new translation

The longest single-authored mystical poem ever written, the Masnavi-ye Ma'navi, or spiritual couplets, is the masterpiece of the Persian Sufi tradition. Its author, Jalaloddin Rumi, was a poet and mystic of the highest attainment, but he was first and foremost a spiritual teacher, and his Masnavi is a ladder to the spiritual world, leading the reader to the ultimate goal of the Sufi path-union with God. Alan Williams's translation into blank verse beautifully conveys the poetry of the original Persian couplets, while his introduction discusses how the modern reader might approach Rumi's writing.

Author: Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: 09/01/2007
Pages: 464
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 7.78h x 5.32w x 0.82d
ISBN13: 9780140447910
ISBN10: 0140447911
BISAC Categories:
- Poetry | Subjects & Themes | Inspirational & Religious
- Poetry | Ancient & Classical
- Poetry | Middle Eastern

About the Author
Called 'Jelaluddin Balkhi' by the Persians and Afghans, Rumi was born on September 30, 1207, in Balkh, Afghanistan, then a part of the Persian Empire. He was the greatest mystical poet of Persia, famous for his didactic epic Masnavi-ye Ma'navi (Spiritual Couplets), a treasure-house of Sufi mysticism. Rumi died on December 17, 1273.

Alan Williams is Senior Lecturer in Comparative Religion at the University of Manchester.