Love me some Rumi

I must admit that until about two years ago, I had no idea who Rumi was. And, in case you're in the same boat, here's the abridged version. Rumi was a 13th century Sufi mystic who was quite prolific in his poetic writings. (By the way, Sufism is a esoteric wing of Islam, so they were kinda like the Islamic version of Gnostics.) What's so interesting is that Rumi's poems end up transcending his own beliefs. The Christian can read his poems and actually be moved. Part of it does relate back to the common beginnings of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, but there are some poems that one can actually relate to New Testament theology--an unexpected connection. Now, because of all this, Rumi ends up being the poster-child for religious pluralism. Aside from that, though, I still can't deny that I and my belief system can relate to many of Rumi's poems. So, I thought I'd share a couple.

"Why and Where We Go"

You are more beautiful than soul,
more useful than eyes; whatever I've

seen in myself, I didn't see it.
You saw. You chose me. I say this

poem to honor that choice. I chose
to lie down in a burning coffin-bed!

Ask my eyes, "Why do you flow?" Ask
my back, "Why so bent?" Ask my soul,

"Why do you wear iron shoes on the road?"
Also ask my soul if it has met another

like you, or heard of such a thing in
any language. You're the sun dissolving

dull overcast, the fragrance of a field,
Joseph entering this room. Peeling

oranges, we see you and nick our hands.
Without touching the ground, you draw

a line. We turn that way. You're why
and where we go, and what we do there.
_______________________________

"What I See in Your Eyes"

Out of myself, but wanting to go
beyond that, wanting what I see

in your eyes, not power, but to
kiss the ground with the dawn

breeze for company, wearing white
pilgrim cloth. I have a certain

knowing. Now I want sight.


That last couple of sentence rings so true for me. "I have a certain knowing. Now I want sight." If you search through Rumi's works, you can find lots of little wisdom pearls throughout. At the very least, they are insightful secular thoughts. At the best, the Holy Spirit uses them to uncover some Christian truths for yourself.