Which Rumi translation is the best?
Table of Contents
Which Rumi translation is the best?
For several decades the best translation of the entire six books of the Mathnawi has been the one by Reynold Nicholson done in the 1920’s. It’s accuracy and completeness has been the standard edition.
The title Masnavi-ye-Ma’navi (Persian: مثنوی معنوی) means “The Spiritual Couplets”. The Masnavi is a poetic collection of anecdotes and stories derived from the Quran, hadith sources, and everyday tales. Stories are told to illustrate a point and each moral is discussed in detail.
Where can I read about Rumi?
Top 10 Best Rumi Books
- The Essential Rumi by Coleman Barks.
- Rumi: The Book of Love by Coleman Barks.
- The Masnavi, Book One by Jawid Mojaddedi.
- Rumi’s Little Book of Life by Maryam Mafi and Azima Melita Kolin.
- The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak.
- The Illuminated Rumi by Coleman Barks.
- The Pocket Rumi by Kabir Helminski.
Turkish mathnawī are strongly driven by their plot, and are usually categorized into three genre–mutaḳārib (heroic), ramal (religio/didactic), and hazadj (romantic).
The Persian poet’s ‘Masnavi’ offers an immersive experience, at once transporting the reader to its mystical heart. Easily the most beautiful set of books I possess is the Persian to Urdu translation of Rumi’s Masnavi. It is six volumes bound in blue leather, each with a frontispiece.
How do I start reading Rumi?
- Start with looking into reading collections of his works.
- Keep it simple, as his works epitomize that aspect.
- I don’t think Rumi’s works reflects looking outside one’s self to find something deeper as you want.
- A reflection of this would be the following work:
- There is a life-force within your soul,
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