Rumi’s Epic

& Poems

MASNAVI
(The Song of the
Reed)
 Background of Work
“The Tale of the Reed”—the well known opening
thirty-five lines of the great Persian mystic
magnum opus, the Masnavi—is the account of the
separation of the lover, personified as the reed,
from the Fatherland, the reed-bed, where it had
belonged in the presence of God, the beloved. It
has been argued that this prelude to the Masnavi
captures the major themes that appear in the
ensuing several thousand rhyming couplets.
Author’s Background
Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi
(also given as Jalal ad-did Muhammad Balkhi, best known
as Rumi, l. 1207-1273 CE) was a Persian Islamic
theologian and scholar but became famous as a
mystical poet whose work focuses on the opportunity for
a meaningful and elevated life through personal
knowledge and love of God.
He was born in Afghanistan or Tajikstan to well-educated, Persian-
speaking parents and followed in his father's profession as a Muslim
cleric, establishing himself as a well-respected scholar and
theologian until he met the Sufi mystic Shams-i-Tabrizi (l. 1185-1248
CE) in 1244 CE and embraced the mystical aspects of Islam.
The Song of the Reed
by Jalal al-Din Rumi
translated by Jawid Mojaddedi
 Dramatic Situation
a. Who is the speaker of the poem?
- The Author himself.

b. To whom does the speaker speaking?

- To itself and to whom reads the lament. 

c. What is the situation?

- The situation was all about the separation of a
soul to were it came from or to its origin.
 

 
 • What is the mood of the poem?
Loneliness, sadness, grief, longing for its origin.

WORDS DENOTATIVE MEANING CONNOTATIVE

MEANING

Reed-Flute a thin strip of material that The soul whose

vibrates to produce a sound longing for its own
on a musical instrument. origin.
Reed-Bed a very wet area of reeds and The origin of the soul.
other plants between water
and land, which is the natural
environment for some birds,
insects, and small animals
Symbolism
Reed –  the metaphor for the soul of the
perfect man.
Reed-Bed – symbolizes as the origin of
the soul.
Majnun – a crazy person/ insane
lover.
Figures of Speech
Simile (12, 24)
Imagery (8, 22)
Hyperbole (26)
Metaphor (25)
Personification (1, 9)
Theme
 The account of the separation of
the lover.
 An anxiety-inducing separateness
that has marked the destiny of the
reed.
 The cry of the reed permeates its
song of ecstasy even as it recalls a
fateful reality.
 Implication of the Title
Through out the poem, the author describes
the power of love and all the amazing things
it does and how without love, he would
despair. He then advises us to clean the
mirror of our hearts (by repenting for and
leaving sin and increasing good works) so
that we can turn to God and find the love that
Rumi describes within ourselves. And God
knows best and He alone is enough for us.