Love in poetry, Love and poetry, Love is poetry. All truths regarding the divine relationship between God's default expression (1 John 4:7-8) and that linguistic art of the poet. Based on humanity’s cultural progression, we can infer that before the written word was even a thing, poetry was not only valued, but essential for preserving and transmitting all significant knowledge across generations.
Throughout man's history, across cultures and civilizations, the highest regarded expressions of poetry have often been rooted in love. If we look at the literary golden ages of the past, we see that many traditions have placed the concept of love, both earthly and divine, at the core of their poetic endeavors. We also can't ignore the ongoing theme in all ancient scripture that Love is the only true bridge to get closer to the creator.
Today, I want to focus on the poetic contributions of the mystic sect commonly referred to as the "Sufis" or "Sufism". My recent study into the works of the world-renowned Sufi poet Rumi, has given me a newfound appreciation and intrigue towards the art.
image created w/ DALL-E 3
Sufism, often described as the mystical branch of Islam, has a tradition of poetry that places love at the foundation of its spiritual philosophy. Some even consider Sufism to be the "heart" of Islam. For poets from this school of thought, love isn't merely a romantic passion, but a powerful force that leads the soul towards unity with the divine.
The Concept of Love In Sufism
Sufism primarily classifies love on two levels:
- Earthly Love (Ishq-e-majazi) - love towards another human being, often seen as an prerequisite to understanding deeper spiritual truths.
- Divine, True Love (Ishq-e-haqiqi) - the ultimate love for God, that transcends the physical plane and unites us with the All.
For Sufis, this divine love creates an intense desire to be forever in union with God. This pursuit draws the devotee ever closer to spiritual enlightenment.
The Famous Sufi Rumi & His Contributions
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (est 1207–1273)
If we're speaking on the presence of love in Sufi poetry, we need go no further than the aforementioned Rumi. Over the centuries, his work has been translated around the world. He is actually the top-sellng poet in the US today. For more on his personal life, see this post.
- Literary Works: Rumi's most famous works include the Dīwān-e Shams-e Tabrīzī and the Mathnawī (also known as the Masnavi).
- Central Theme of Love: Rumi's work details many different expressions of love and how they all, at the root, are unfoldings of that "divine love". So while you can indeed read Rumi's works to a lover, there is always a deeper meaning beneath the surface. I've found many lessons on polarity and correspondence in his writings.
- The Whirling Dervishes: As the unofficial founder of the Mevlevi Order in Konya (modern-day Turkey), Rumi's mystical practices symbolize the soul's rhythmic dance of love with the Infinite. In the whirling ceremony, devotees participate in a circular twirl that mirrors the cosmos.
Symbolism in Sufi Poetry
- The Beloved: I often hear Muslims use this term. I understand now. The Beloved often represents an elusive yet beautiful figure. It is personified in its grandest form as God, and in its physical form as an "earthly" beloved.
- Self-Annihilation (Fana): according to Sufi belief, true love is the result of the destruction of the ego (the famous "ego death") so that the lover can be one with the Beloved.
- Wine and the Tavern: The wine spoken of in Rumi's poetry seems to represent the sweet, yet intoxicating nature of divine Love, while the tavern represents the setting necesssary for one to have this experience.
- Longing and Separation (Hijr): Much of Rumi's work highlights the pain of being separated from the Beloved, while still maintaining a state of bliss on the path.
The biggest distinction between Sufi poetry and many other schools of thought is that Sufism elevates love to a divine principle, much superior to our earthly attachments. They see love as a method to purify the heart and prepare for the Infinite.
Peace & Love
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