Shams, Rumi and the mathnawi

[desmond dillon]

 Rumi was given the name because where he mostly lived and died in Konya in western Turkey an area once known as Rum. It had its name from the fact that previously it was a Roman province.. 

 it is recounted that rumi met a mysterious being ( un homme inconnu ) called Shams of Tabriz. the poet instantly recognised Shams as a perfect soul and became his pupil. Rumi described him as 'a foaming torrent that leaps and plunges in the solitude of the mountains.' Shams importunes rumi to compose the Mathnawi, which took three years and contains 24000 couplets which were copied down by his scribe Hasan. amongst many works it is the main work he recited. Shams said to him 'for the sake of our ancient friendship tell forth a hint of those sweet states of ecstasy, that earth and heaven may be rejoiced.'

 Rumi replied 'importune me not, for i am beside myself; my understanding is gone and i cannot sing praises.. whatever i say is clearly inapt and wide of the mark.'

 and continued  'can i explain The Friend to one to whom He is no friend. Can i describe my separation and my bleeding heart. Nay, put off the matter till another season'

 Shams replied 'feed me for i am hungered, and at once for  time is a sharp sword. O comrade the sufi is the son of time present and it is not the rule of his canon to say  To-morrow. Can it be that thou art not a true sufi. Ready money is lost by giving credit.'

Rumi replied again 'the secrets of The Friend should not be noised abroad in the talk of strangers.'

Shams said, 'without veil or covering or deception, speak out and vex me not, O man of many words! thy words are endless. Now tell forth all thy story from the beginning.' 

So it was that Rumi began to compose the Mathnawi. It began to take the form of many stories whose inner meanings were expounded in verse.