The Arabic Poems of Rumi: Thematic and Structural Features

Abstract

Mawlana Jalal al-Din Muhammad Balkhi is one of the greatest poets, mystics, and thinkers of the Islamic world. His Persian works have been translated into Arabic, Turkish, Urdu, English, and many other languages, leaving a profound impact on both Islamic mysticism and world literature. Rumi attracted attention in the Arab world centuries ago and his poems were translated into Arabic several times. Rumi composed the majority of his works in Persian. However, the Arabic poems included in his divan have also survived to our time. Rumi wrote nearly one thousand Arabic verses. These poems differ from his Persian poems in terms of artistic character and stylistic features. Some display high poetic beauty and technical skill, while others reveal variations in meter and linguistic expression. The influence of Arabic literary tradition is also observable in these works. The present study analyzes the Arabic poems of Rumi in terms of their thematic and structural features, while also examining their similarities to and differences from his Persian works. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the subject, the study first explores Rumi's engagement with the Arabic cultural and literary milieu, as well as his reception in the Arab world. It then investigates the influence of Arabic literature on his oeuvre and provides a detailed analysis of the thematic and structural characteristics of his Arabic poetry.