Rumi’s Love poems.

THROUGH LOVE all that is bitter will sweet
ప్రేమతో చేదంతా తీపి అవుతుంది.

Through Love all that is copper will be gold.
ప్రేమతో రాగి బంగారమవుతుంది.

Through Love all dregs will turn to purest wine
ప్రేమతో మత్తు పదార్థాలన్నీ మంచి సారాయమవుతాయి.

Through Love all pain will turn to medicine.
ప్రేమతే బాధలన్నీ ఔషధాలవుతాయి.

Through Love the dead will all become alive.
ప్రేమతో మృతులంతా జీవంతులవుతారు.

Through Love the king will turn into a slave!
ప్రేమతో రారాజు బానిసవుతాడు.

—
ONCE a beloved asked her lover:
ప్రేమి, ప్రేమికుని ఒక ప్రశ్న అడిగింది.

"Friend, you have seen many places in the world!
మిత్రమా, నీవు ప్రపంచంలో ఎన్నో ప్రదేశాలను చూచావు గదా

Now - which of all these cities was the best?
మరి వాటన్నింటిలో ఏది ఉత్తమంగా ఉందీ అని

He said: "The city where my sweetheart lives!"
అతనన్నాడూ, నా ప్రియురాలున్న నగరమే అని.

—
FROM MYSELF I am copper,
నా అంతకు నేనుగా రాగిని మాత్రమే

,through You, friend, I am gold.
నీవుంటే మిత్రమా, నేను బంగారాన్ని.

From myself I'm a stone, but
నా అంతకు నేనుగా నేనొక రాతిని, కానీ

through You I am a gem!
నీతో ఉంటే రత్నాన్ని.


—
O SUN, fill our house once more with light!
సూర్యుడా, మాయింటిని మరో సారి వెలుగుతో ముంచెత్తు,

Make happy all your friends and blind your foes!
మితృలందరికి సంతోషాన్ని పంచు, శతృవుల కళ్లను పోగొట్టు,

Rise from behind the hill, transform the stones
కొండ వెనకనుండి ఉదయించు, బండలను మార్చి

To rubies and the sour grapes to wine!
మంచి కెంపులుగా, పుల్లని ద్రాక్షలను మంచి మద్యంగా చెయ్యి.

O Sun, make our vineyard fresh again,
సూర్యుడా మా ద్రాక్షతోటను మళ్లీ తాజా చెయ్యి.

And fill the steppes with houris and green cloaks!
మైదానాల మీద మంచి గడ్డిని పరిపించు.

Physician of the lovers, heaven's lamp!
ప్రేమ వైద్యలారా, అదుగో స్వర్గదీపం

Rescue the lovers! Help the suffering!
ప్రేమికులను కాపాడండి, బాధితులకు బాసటనివ్వండి.

Show but your face - the world is filled with light!
ఒక్కసారి మీ ముఖం చూపిస్తే, ప్రపంచమంతా వెలుగు నిండుతుంది.

But if you cover it, it's the darkest night!
ఆ ముఖాన్నే గనుక కప్పుకుంటే, అంతా రాత్రి అవుతుంది.
—
Life of Rumi
The term Sufi, is known to many but, few know the philosophy to its depth. When you read the above poems, you get a feeling that the poet is infatuated with a dame. Mind you the poems are written by Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi, the greatest Sufi ever lived. The love is only towards the God and not towards any mortal being. Such is the devotion in Sufi style. I remember Sri Balantrapu Rajani Kanta Rao, doyen of literature and music saying that Meera Bai was the best Sufi from India. Similarly the love and love poems of Andal can be classified as belonging to this style of love.

Here are a few words about the life and times of Rumi.

The name Mowlana Jalaluddin Rumi stands for Love and ecstatic flight into the infinite. Rumi is one of the great spiritual masters and poetical geniuses of mankind and was the founder of the Mawlawi Sufi order, a leading mystical brotherhood of Islam.

Rumi was born in Wakhsh (Tajikistan) under the administration of Balkh in 30 September 1207 to a family of learned theologians. Escaping the Mongol invasion and destruction, Rumi and his family traveled extensively in the Muslim lands, performed pilgrimage to Mecca and finally settled in Konya, Anatolia, then part of Seljuk Empire. When his father Bahaduddin Valad passed away, Rumi succeeded his father in 1231 as professor in religious sciences. Rumi 24 years old was an already accomplished scholar in religious and positive sciences.
He was introduced into the mystical path by a wandering dervish, Shamsuddin of Tabriz. His love and his bereavement for the death of Shams found their expression in a surge of music, dance and lyric poems, `Divani Shamsi Tabrizi'. Rumi is the author of six volume didactic epic work, the `Masnawi', called as the 'Koran in Persian' by Jami, and discourses, `Fihi ma Fihi', written to introduce his disciples into metaphysics.
If there is any general idea underlying Rumi's poetry, it is the absolute love of God. His influence on thought, literature and all forms of aesthetic expression in the world of Islam cannot be overrated.

Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi died on December 17, 1273. Men of five faiths followed his bier. That night was named Sebul Arus (Night of Union). Ever since, the Mawlawi dervishes have kept that date as a festival.