Music; Rumi’s Personal Path to God
ENG 2403 *47
World Literature
Spring 2013
Peter Avelar
Rumi Essay
Music; Rumi’s Personal Path to God
13th century poet and Sufi mystic, Rumi, was a devoted patron of the arts. As is evident in his works, Rumi vehemently believed that poetry, dance and in particular, music, were vehicles upon which one could take to reach higher states of consciousness or transcendence. Many of the Persian poet’s works clearly reflect his passion for music and his understanding of the “sonic universe”. As a musician, I am drawn to Rumi’s outlook on life. As a humble admirer of his poetry, I wish to share my understanding of Rumi’s timeless words, broadcasting the harmony that is born of his stanzas. The poem entitled, “The Music”, provides us with some insight into Rumi’s spiritual beliefs. “Today I recognize that I am the guest the mystics talk about. I play this living music for my host. Everything today is for the host”. This poem is a prime example of how Rumi uses the theme of music in a mystic sense. The speaker refers to himself as “the guest the mystics talk about”. This verse aligns itself well with Rumi’s belief in the ties between music and God, or the Universal Energy Field (the “Host”, as the speaker puts it). The author chooses to use the words “living music” to describe how he regards the art form. For Rumi, music is something much more than mere entertainment. He sees all of life in terms of music... a perpetual cycle of tension and release. “Philosophers have said that we love music because it resembles the sphere-sounds of union. We’ve been part of a harmony before, so these moments of treble and bass keep our remembering fresh”. The speaker in this passage of Rumi’s poem, “Walnuts”, is the narrator. The speaker provides the listener with his understanding that humans gravitate toward music (e.g. “moments of treble and bass”). This passage speaks of “sphere sounds of union”, which could refer to the planets and the harmony that
World Literature
Spring 2013
Peter Avelar
Rumi Essay
Music; Rumi’s Personal Path to God
13th century poet and Sufi mystic, Rumi, was a devoted patron of the arts. As is evident in his works, Rumi vehemently believed that poetry, dance and in particular, music, were vehicles upon which one could take to reach higher states of consciousness or transcendence. Many of the Persian poet’s works clearly reflect his passion for music and his understanding of the “sonic universe”. As a musician, I am drawn to Rumi’s outlook on life. As a humble admirer of his poetry, I wish to share my understanding of Rumi’s timeless words, broadcasting the harmony that is born of his stanzas. The poem entitled, “The Music”, provides us with some insight into Rumi’s spiritual beliefs. “Today I recognize that I am the guest the mystics talk about. I play this living music for my host. Everything today is for the host”. This poem is a prime example of how Rumi uses the theme of music in a mystic sense. The speaker refers to himself as “the guest the mystics talk about”. This verse aligns itself well with Rumi’s belief in the ties between music and God, or the Universal Energy Field (the “Host”, as the speaker puts it). The author chooses to use the words “living music” to describe how he regards the art form. For Rumi, music is something much more than mere entertainment. He sees all of life in terms of music... a perpetual cycle of tension and release. “Philosophers have said that we love music because it resembles the sphere-sounds of union. We’ve been part of a harmony before, so these moments of treble and bass keep our remembering fresh”. The speaker in this passage of Rumi’s poem, “Walnuts”, is the narrator. The speaker provides the listener with his understanding that humans gravitate toward music (e.g. “moments of treble and bass”). This passage speaks of “sphere sounds of union”, which could refer to the planets and the harmony that