Jelalu-'d-Din, the greatest mystical poet of any age, was born at Balkh, in 1207 a.d., and was of an illustrious descent. His mother was of a princely house ; his father, Bahau-'d-Din Veled, was a descendant of the Kalif Abu Bekr, and excited the jealousy of the Sultan,  who made it so unpleasant for him that he left the city, taking with him his family, the youngest of whom was Jelalu-'d-Din, then five years old. At Naishapur they met the Sufi saint, Attar, who predicted the child's future greatness. " He would," he said, "kindle the fire of divine enthusiasm throughout the world,"  for even as a child Rumi had visions and religious ecstasies.

For years these fugitives travelled extensively through the East, and while in Larenda, in Asia Minor, then called Rum, Jelal married. This was in 1226 a.d., and after visiting Samarcand and Constantinople, the family finally settled in Oonia, or Konia (the ancient Iconium of the New Testament). Konia is in the old Roman province of Galatia, hence Jelalu's name of Rumi, or the " Roman." Here the poet's father founded a college and here he died in 1 23 1. After his father's death, Rumi, already a great student under his father's careful tuition, studied at Aleppo and Damascus, where he acquired a well-deserved reputation for learning. On his return to Konia he was professor of four different colleges, and received the title of Sultan-al-Ulema, or " Chief and Ruler of the Learned."

Among his spiritual advisers was Shamsi-'d-Din of Tabriz, who gained such an influence over the poet that Rumi adopted his name as his takhallus, or poetical Nom de plume, under which he wrote his Divan or lyrical odes. The people of Konia, disliking the somewhat aggressive characteristics of Shamsi, rose up against him, and in the riot which followed Rumi's eldest son was killed ; and Shamsi must have been executed, for he was never seen again. These tragic events caused Rumi such melancholy that he renounced the world and founded the famous order of Dervishes called the " Maulavis.  This order was noted for its piety, mystic dances, and its music and songs, making use of such instruments as the flute, drum, tambourine ; and its members also wore a peculiar mourning costume. The Masnavi, Rumi's great mystic poem, is said to have been written by him at the suggestion of an admiring disciple for the spiritual benefit of his order, whose cloisters are found throughout the Turkish Empire.

Rumi died at Konia, December 17, 1273, and was buried in his father's mausoleum at Konia. His son succeeded him as the head of the " Maulavis,11 the leadership of which has been kept in the poefs family for six hundred years. The dying instructions of Rumi to his son were as follows : —

" My testament is this : that ye be pious toward God, in private and in public ; that ye eat little, sleep little, speak little ; —that ye depart from wickedness and sin ; that ye continue instant in fasting, and steadfast in vigilance; that ye flee from carnal lusts with all your might; that ye endure patiently the contumely of the world that ye shun the company of the base and foolish, and consort with the noble-hearted and the pious. Verily the best man is he who doeth good to men, and the best speech is that which is short and guideth men aright. Praise be to God who is the Only God. "

These precepts were the basis of Rumi's life, judging by the nature of the work he left behind him. His Masnavi, upon which his literary fame rests, is composed of twenty-six thousand couplets arranged in six parts, or books, dealing with Sufi philosophy in a series of stories having spiritual maxims and interpretations ; certain parts of these have been compared to the Books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Songs of Solomon. As Dante's poem has been called the Divina, so in India the Masnavi is called the Ma'navi, or " Spiritual " ; for it seems to have for its main object the teaching of the " fatherhood of God " and the explanation of the origin of evil. These subjects are approached on the moral side through the principle of love ; believing that the more a man loves the more able he is to understand the divine purposes. more able he is to understand the divine purposes.

The " song of the reed " is thought to signify the soul's love for God, and its longing to be reunited with Him. At all events it is the keynote of the celebrated Masnavi. Among the numerous forms to describe this union of God and man Rumi uses the following exquisite apologue: " There came one and knocked at the door of the Beloved. And a voice answered and said, 'Who is there?  The lover replied, 'It is I.  'Go hence,' returned the voice, 'there is no room within for thee and me.  Then came the lover a second time and knocked, and again the voice demanded, 'Who is there?  He answered, ' It is thou.  'Enter, said the voice, 'for I am within. "

Jalaluddin,  the  greatest  mystical  poet  of  any  age,  was  born  at  Balkh,  in  1207  A.D.,  and  was  of  an  illustrious  descent. His mother  was  of  a  princely  house ;  his  father, Bahau-'d-Din  Veled,  was  a  descendant  of  the  Khalif  Abu Bekr,  and  excited  the  jealousy  of  the  Sultan,1  who  made  it so  unpleasant  for  him  that  he  left  the  city,  taking  with  him his  family,  the  youngest  of  whom  was  Jelalu-1d-Din,  then five  years  old.  At  Nishapur  they  met  the  Sufi  saint,  Attar,  who  predicted  the  child's  future  greatness.  "  He would,"  he  said,  "kindle  the  fire  of  divine  enthusiasm throughout  the  world,"2  for  even  as  a  child  Rumi  had visions  and  religious  ecstasies.

For  years  these  fugitives  travelled  extensively  through the  East,  and  while  in  Larenda,  in  Asia  Minor,  then  called Rum,  Jelaluddin  married.  This  was  in  1226  a.d.,  and  after visiting  Samarcand  and  Constantinople,  the  family  finally settled  in  Konia.  Konia is  in  the  old  Roman  province of  Galatia,  hence  Jelaluddin’s  name  of  Rumi,  or  the  "  Roman."

Here  the  poet's  father  founded  a  college  and  here  he  died  in  1 23 1.  After his  father's  death,  Rumi,  already  a  great student  under  his  father's  careful  tuition,  studied  at  Aleppo and  Damascus,  where  he  acquired  a  well-deserved  reputation for  learning.  On his  return  to  Konia  he  was  professor of  four  different  colleges,  and  received  the  title  of Sultan-al-Ulema,  or  "Chief  and  Ruler  of  the  Learned."

Among his spiritual advisers was Shamsuddin  of Tabriz,  who  gained  such  an  influence  over  the  poet  that Rumi  adopted  his  name  as  his  takhallus,  or  poetical  nom de plume,  under  which  he  wrote  his  Divan  or  lyrical odes.  The people  of  Konia,  disliking  the  somewhat  aggressive characteristics  of  Shamsi,  rose  up  against  him, and  in  the  riot  which  followed  Rumi's  eldest  son  was  killed  ; and  Shamsi  must  have  been  executed,  for  he  was  never seen  again.  These  tragic  events  caused  Rumi  such  melancholy that  he  renounced  the  world  and  founded  the famous  order  of  Dervishes  called  the  " Maulvis.”  This order  was  noted  for  its  piety,  mystic  dances,  and  its  music  and  songs,  making  use  of  such  instruments  as  the  flute, drum,  tambourine ;  and  its  members  also  wore  a  peculiar mourning  costume.  The  Masnavi,  Rumi's  great  mystic  poem,  is  said  to  have  been  written  by  him  at  the  suggestion of  an  admiring  disciple  for  the  spiritual  benefit  of  his  order,  whose  cloisters  are  found  throughout  the  Turkish Empire.

Rumi  died  at  Konia,  December  17,  1273,  and  was  buried  in  his  father's  mausoleum  at  Konia.  His son  succeeded him  as  the  head  of  the  "  Maulavis,  the  leadership  of  which has  been  kept  in  the  poets  family  for  six  hundred  years.

The  dying  instructions  of  Rumi  to  his  son  were  as follows  :  —

"  My  testament  is  this :  that  ye  be  pious  toward  God, in  private  and  in  public ;  that  ye  eat  little,  sleep  little,  speak  little ;  —  that  ye  depart  from  wickedness  and  sin;  that  ye  continue  instant  in  fasting,  and  steadfast  in  vigilance ;  that  ye  flee  from  carnal  lusts  with all  you might; that  ye  endure  patiently  the  contumely  of  the  world ; that  ye  shun  the  company  of  the  base  and  foolish,  and consort  with  the  noble-hearted  and  the  pious.  Verily  the best  man  is  he  who  doeth  good  to  men,  and  the  best speech  is  that  which  is  short  and  guided  men  aright. Praise be to God  who  is  the  Only  God.

These precepts were the basis  of  Rumi's  life,  judging  by the  nature  of  the  work  he  left  behind  him.  His  Masnavi,  upon  which  his  literary  fame  rests,  is  composed  of  twenty-six  thousand  couplets  arranged  in  six  parts,  or books,  dealing  with  Sufi  philosophy  in  a  series  of  stories having  spiritual  maxims  and  interpretations  ;  certain  parts  of  these  have  been  compared  to  the  Books  of  Proverbs, Ecclesiastes,  and  the  Songs  of  Solomon.  As  Dante's poem  has  been  called  the  Divina,  so  in  India  the  Masnavi  is  called  the  Ma'navi,  or  " Spiritual "  ;  for  it  seems  to have  for  its  main  object  the  teaching  of  the  "  fatherhood  of  God  "  and  the  explanation  of  the  origin  of  evil.  These  subjects  are  approached  on  the  moral  side  through  the  principle  of  love ;  believing  that  the  more  a  man  loves  the  more  able  he  is  to  understand  the  divine  purposes.

The  "  song  of  the  reed  "  is  thought  to  signify  the  soul's  love  for  God,  and  its  longing  to  be  reunited  with  Him.  At  all  events  it  is  the  keynote  of  the  celebrated  Masnavi.  Among  the  numerous  forms  to  describe  this  union  of  God  and  man  Rumi  uses  the  following  exquisite  apologue : -

"There  came  one  and  knocked  at  the  door  of  the  Beloved.  And a voice answered and said, Who is there?  The lover replied, It is I.  'Go  hence,  returned  the  voice, 'there  is  no  room  within  for  thee  and  me.  Then  came the  lover  a  second  time  and  knocked,  and  again  the  voice demanded,  'Who  is  there?  He answered, it is thou. Enter, said the voice, for I am within.