Poems & Poets

This poem is authored* by Jalal-od-Din Mohammad Balkhi (Persian: جلال‌الدین محمد بلخى‎; 30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273), also known as Mawlavi, Mawlana and Rumi. Mowlana was a 13th-century Persian poet, faqih, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic originally from Khorasan in Greater Iran (present-day Afghanistan). His works focus on “the roots of the roots of the roots of the religion”, in that they address the heart and soul of the Qurʾanic message and the Prophetic legacy. He is arguably the most well-known of all Persian poets and mystics.

This ghazal is a love-poem dedicated to a beloved: here being Mawlavi's teacher, Shams-e-Tabrizi. This poem recalls the time his spiritual guide, Shams, disappeared without notice, upon which Mawlana set out to seek his beloved teacher who had taken him under his tutelage and enlightened him with mystic knowledge.

Reference: Though this poem is commonly recited, it has no authenticated reference.