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Experience the spiritual depth of Rumi’s mystical poetry through this captivating sonnet from Divan-e Shams. In this post, you’ll find the original Persian verses, phonetic transcription for accurate pronunciation, and English translation to unveil the universal wisdom of Molana Jalaluddin Rumi. The sonnet is also beautifully narrated in Persian by Dr. Alireza Peyman, PhD holder in Persian Literature, for deeper immersion and appreciation.
Video of Rumi’s Mystical Sonnet on Divine Love and Self-awareness
Rumi’s Mystical Sonnet on Divine Love and Self-awareness
گفت لَبَم ناگهان نامِ گل و گلسِتان
Goft labam nāgahān nām-e gol o golestān
My lips suddenly spoke the name of the rose and the rose garden.
آمد آن گلعُذار کوفت مَرا بَر دَهان
Āmad ān gol-ozār kūft marā bar dahān
That rose-faced beloved appeared and struck me on the mouth.
گفت که سلطان مَنم، جانِ گلستان مَنم
Goft ke soltān manam, jān-e golestān manam
He said, “I am the sovereign, the soul of the rose garden.”
حَضرتِ چون مَن شَهی، وآنگه یادِ فُلان؟
Hazrat-e chon man shahī, vā angah yād-e folān?
Before a majestic king like me, and you remember someone else?
دفِّ مَنی هین مَخور سیلیِ هَر ناکَسی
Daff-e mani, hīn makhor sīli-ye har nākasi
You are my tambourine—don’t be slapped by just anyone.
نایِ مَنی هین مَکُن از دَمِ هَر کَس فَغان
Nāy-e mani, hīn makon az dam-e har kas faghān
You are my reed flute—don’t cry with the breath of every stranger.
پیشِ چو مَن کِیقُباد، چَشمِ بَدم دور باد
Pīsh-e cho man Keyqobād, chashm-e badam dūr bād!
Before someone like me, a King of Kings, may the evil eye be far!
حیف نَباشَد که تو یاد کُنی از کِهان؟
Heyf nabāshad ke to yād konī az kehān?
Isn’t it a shame that you still remember the lowly?
جُغد بُوَد کو به باغ یادِ خَرابه کند
Joghd bovad kū be bāgh yād-e kharābe konad
Only an owl in a garden would yearn for ruins.
زاغ بُوَد کو بَهار، یاد کند از خَزان
Zāgh bovad kū bahār yād konad az khazān
Only a crow in spring would long for autumn.
چَنگ به مَن دَر زدی، چَنگِ مَنی دَر کنار
Chang be man dar zadī, chang-e mani dar kenār
You’ve strummed on me like a harp—I am your harp, always by your side.
تار که دَر زَخمه‌ام سُست شَوَد، بُگسَلان
Tār ke dar zakhme’am sost shavad, bogsalān
If one of my strings loosens under your fingers, then break it off.
پُشتِ جهان دیده‌ای رویِ جَهان را ببین
Posht-e jahān dīde’ī, rūy-e jahān rā bebin
You’ve only seen the back of the world—now look at its face.
پُشت به خود کن که تا روی نَماید جَهان
Posht be khod kon ke tā rūy namāyad jahān
Turn your back on yourself so the world may reveal its face.
ای قمرِ زیر میغ! خویش نَدیدی، دَریغ!
Ey qamar-e zīr-e mīgh! Khīsh nadīdī, darīgh!
O moon beneath the cloud! You haven’t seen yourself—what a pity!
چند چو سایه دَوی، در پیِ این دیگران؟
Chand cho sāye davī dar pay-e īn dīgerān?
How long will you run like a shadow after others?
بَس که مَرا دامِ شعر، از دَغَلی بَند کرد
Bas ke marā dām-e she’r az daghalī band kard
So often the snare of poetry trapped me with trickery.
تا که زِ دَستم شکار، جَست سویِ گلسِتان
Tā ke ze dastam shekār jast sūy-e golestān
Until my prey slipped from my hand and ran to the rose garden.
در پیِ دُزدی بُدَم، دُزد دِگَر بانگ کرد
Dar pay-e dozdī bodam, dozd-e degar bāng kard
I was chasing a thief, but another thief cried out.
هِشتم بازآمَدم، گفتم و هین چیست آن؟
Heshtam bāz āmadam, goftam o hīn chīst ān?
I hesitated, turned back, and asked, “What is that sound?”
گفت که اینک نشان، دُزدِ تو این سوی رَفت
Goft ke īnak neshān, dozd-e to īn sūy raft
He said, “Here’s the clue—your thief went this way.”
دُزدِ مَرا باد داد آن دَغَلِ کَژنِشان
Dozd-e marā bād dād ān daghal-e kazh-neshān
The crooked impostor betrayed my thief to the wind.
The Mirror of the Divine: Self vs. Illusion
This compelling sonnet from Divan-e Shams illustrates Rumi’s perennial theme: the awakening of the soul to divine presence . It begins with a sudden remembrance of beauty and truth (“گل و گلستان” – rose and rose garden) triggered by the Beloved. The voice of the Beloved disrupts the speaker’s distractions, reminding him of his sacred origin and unworthiness of worldly attachments. This dynamic tension between divine calling and human forgetfulness is a hallmark of Rumi’s spiritual poetry.
Rumi’s Symbolism and Language
Rumi employs symbolic language throughout the sonnet—comparing the soul to instruments like the reed flute (نای) and the tambourine (دف), suggesting that true music comes only when we are played by the Divine. He warns against letting every outsider “play” us, echoing his Sufi belief that we are meant to resonate only with God’s breath. The imagery of thieves, shadows, and seasons reflects the illusory nature of worldly pursuits. Ultimately, the poem leads us toward inner reflection and spiritual realignment, which are central to Rumi’s teachings.
Symbolism and Spiritual Depth in Rumi’s Verses
This sonnet by Rumi, from his Divan-e Shams, captures the mystical transformation of the soul through divine love. The beloved is portrayed as both a metaphor for God and a spiritual guide who awakens the seeker’s heart. Rumi warns against chasing fleeting worldly distractions, comparing them to owls and crows fixated on ruin and decay, while true beauty lies in the eternal garden of divine presence.
The musical metaphors—flute, drum, harp—underscore Rumi’s view of the human soul as an instrument played by the divine hand, resonating only when detached from ego and deception. The speaker’s journey is one of awakening, where even a thief (the ego) must be recognized and surrendered. This poem is not only a lyrical work of art but a spiritual roadmap calling readers to turn inward, shed false identities, and discover their divine origin hidden behind the veil of worldly appearances.
