Any soul that drank the nectar of your passion was lifted.
From that water of life he is in a state of elation.
Death came, smelled me, and sensed your fragrance instead.
From then on, death lost all hope of me.
- “Any Soul That Drank the Nectar” by Rumi
Keep in mind, this poem was written in the 13th century. The likes of Shakespeare, Lord Byron, and Pablo Neruda would follow – hundreds of years later.
But Rumi…Rumi was the original love poet. A product of the Medieval Persian Islamic empire, he hailed from the area that is now Afghanistan. In addition to being a poet and author, Rumi was an Islamic jurist, a scholar and teacher, a practicing Sufi and, eventually, an ascetic. He turned to poetry in the wake of his beloved teacher’s death and the rest, as they say, is history.
Deepak Chopra reads Rumi’s delicate verses in recent episodes of The Chopra Well’s THE MEDITATOR. Central to Rumi’s beliefs and teachings is the Islamic notion of tawhid, or the desire for oneness with God. More intricately, though, tawhid represents human beings’ separation from a universal source of Love or Energy, which we naturally strive to reconnect with throughout our lives. It is apt, then, to meditate to Rumi’s words, in a practice many use in order to feel centered and whole.
Rumi’s legacy is vast, ranging from classical Iranian and Afghan music to recorded readings by Madonna and Demi Moore. What we adore most about Rumi, though, are his lush, timeless love poems. The man knew about love, and only he could have captured the emotion with such delicate nuance. Here are some excerpts from our favorites:
From “The Awakening”
I found my dreams
but the moon took me away
It lifted me up to the firmament
and suspended me there
I saw how my heart had fallen
on your path
singing a song
From “Looking for Your Face”
I am ashamed
to call this love human
and afraid of God
to call it divine
Your fragrant breath
like the morning breeze
has come to the stillness of the garden
You have breathed new life into me
I have become your sunshine
and also your shadow
From “The Lovers”
The Lovers
will drink wine night and day.
They will drink until they can
tear away the veils of intellect and
melt away the layers of shame and modesty.
When in Love,
body, mind, heart and soul don’t even exist.
Become this,
fall in Love, and you will not be separated again.
Have you ever written verses for your beloved? Let Rumi be your guide. Fall in love with Rumi, as we have, and let us know some of your favorite love poems!
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