Rumi's Mystical Design

Simon Weightman, Seyed Ghahreman Safavi

Description

This landmark book reveals the structure of Rumī's thirteenth-century classic, the Mathnawī. A beloved collection of 25,000 picturesque, alliterative verses full of anecdotes and parables on what appear to be loosely connected themes, the Mathnawī presents itself as spontaneous and unplanned. However, as Seyed Ghahreman Safavi and Simon Weightman demonstrate, the work has a sophisticated design that deliberately hides the spiritual so that readers, as seekers, have to find it for themselves—it is not only about spiritual training, it is spiritual training. Along with a full synoptic reading of the whole of Book One, the authors provide material on Rumī's life, his religious position, and his literary antecedents. Safavi and Weightman have provided readers, students, and scholars with a valuable resource: the guide that they wished they had had prior to their own reading of this great spiritual classic.
Foreword by Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Preface

Introduction

1. Contextualizing the Mathnawī

Mawlānā’s Life—An Outline
Mawlānā’s Religious Outlook
Mawlānā’s Literary Antecedents

2. Reading the Mathnawī

The Mathnawī as Given
The Question of Structure
Some Further Considerations
Synoptic Reading and the Principles of Parallelism and Chiasmus
Rhetorical Latency
Two Iranian Exemplars
The Synoptic Reading of Book One of the Mathnawī

3. A Synoptic Reading of Book One of the Mathnawī

4. Book One as a Whole and as a Part

The Synoptic Analysis of Book One as a Whole
The Rationale of Book One as a Whole
The Linear and the Nonlinear Ordering of Book One
Book One as a Part

5. Conclusion

How Mawlānā Composed the Mathnawī
Mawlānā’s Hidden Organization as the Writer’s Plan
Th e Design of the Mathnawī
Finale

Notes
Glossary
Select Bibliography
Index

Sujets

• Mysticism
• History of religions
• Islam

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 30 mars 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9781438428017
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Hυ ȹ̘Ѽɕ 4ɴɕɜȨȃǸȵ ȐɕȨȝȽ

READING THE4ǸɜȣȽǸɬ̘ ѮBOOK ONE

Seyed Ghahreman Safavi and Simon Weightman

Foreword by Seyyed Hossein Nasr

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Ru¯m¯’s Mystical Design

SUNY serîes în ïsam

Seyyed Hosseîn Nasr, edîtor

Ru¯m¯’s Mystical Design

Readîng teMatnawī, Book One

SEYED GHAHREMAN SAFAVï AND SïMON WEïGHTMAN

FOREWORD BY SEYYED HOSSEïN NASR

Pubîsed by State Unîversîty o New York Press, Abany

© 2009 Seyed Gareman Saavî and Sîmon Weîgtman

A rîgts reserved

Prînted în te Unîted States o Amerîca

Cover caîgrapy by Moammad Saeed Nagasîan

No part o tîs book may be used or reproduced în any manner watsoever wîtout wrîtten permîssîon. No part o tîs book may be stored în a retrîeva system or transmîtted în any orm or by any means încudîng eectronîc, eectrostatîc, magnetîc tape, mecanîca, potocopyîng, recordîng, or oterwîse wîtout te prîor permîssîon în wrîtîng o te pubîser.

For înormatîon, contact State Unîversîty o New York Press, Abany, NY www.sunypress.edu

Productîon by Cateen Coîns Marketîng by Mîcae Campocîaro

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data

Saavî, Seyed Gareman.  Rumî’s mystîca desîgn : readîng te Matnawî, book one / Seyed Gareman Saavî and Sîmon Weîgtman ; oreword by Seyyed Hosseîn Nasr.  p. cm. — (SUNY serîes în ïsam)  ïncudes bîbîograpîca reerences and îndex.  ïSBN 978-1-4384-2795-9 (ardcover : ak. paper)  ïSBN 978-1-4384-2796-6 (pbk. : ak. paper)  1. Jaā a-Dīn Rūmī, Mauana, 1207–1273. Masnavī. 2. Sui poetry, Persîan— Hîstory and crîtîcîsm. ï. Weîgtman, S. C. R. ïï. Tîte.  PK6481.M9S228 2009  891'.5511—dc22 2008051943

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Foreword by Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr Preface Introduction

¯ Chapter One: Contextualizing theM ATHNAWI  Mawānā’s îe—An Outîne  Mawānā’s Reîgîous Outook  Mawānā’s îterary Antecedents

¯ Chapter Two: Reading theM ATHNAWI  heMatnawīGîven as  he Questîon o Structure  Some Furter Consîderatîons  Synoptîc Readîng and te Prîncîpes o Paraeîsm and Cîasmus  Retorîca atency  Two ïranîan Exempars  he Synoptîc Readîng o Book One o teMatnawī

Chapter Three: A Synoptic Reading of Book One ¯ of theM ATHNAWI

Chapter Four: Book One as a Whole and as a Part  he Synoptîc Anaysîs o Book One as a Woe  he Ratîonae o Book One as a Woe

vîî xîîî 1

13 13 26 30

39 39 40 43 46 54 55 59

63

201 201 207

vî

Contents

he înear and te Nonînear Orderîng o Book One Book One as a Part

Chapter Five: Conclusion  How Mawānā Composed teMatnawī  Mawānā’s Hîdden Organîzatîon as te Wrîter’s Pan  he Desîgn o teMatnawī  Fînae

Notes Glossary Select Bibliography Index

212 214

219 219 220 225 232

235 243 249 255

Foreword

PROFESSOR SEYYED HOSSEïN NASR

ït îs ardy conceîvabe tat ater centurîes o study o teMatnawīo Jaa a- Dîn Rūmī, tîs most amous work o mystîca poetry în te Persîan anguage, ît coud stî be possîbe to make a new dîscovery o suc împort and dîmen- sîon concernîng Rūmī’s masterpîece as one inds în tîs book. hîs dîscovery îs notîng ess tan te unveîîng o te genera structure o te Matnawī to wîc tere îs no reerence în earîer studîes o tîs bîbe o Suism. he book marks, tereore, a major event în te study o Suī îterature în genera and o Rūmī în partîcuar. ït îs our own beîe tat sometîng as essentîa as te întrîcate structure o teMatnawīcoud not ave been totay unknown to te notabe autorîtîes o te text o teMatnawī over te ages but tat tîs structure was never dîvuged în detaî în wrîtîng. We reca a comment once made to us by a Persîan master wo was known as te greatest autorîty on teMatnawī în îs day, tat îs, te ate Hadî Ha’îrî. He was suc an autorîty on te subject tat scoars as ceebrated as Badî‘ a-Zaman Furuzanar, Jaa Huma’î, and ‘Aama Ja‘arî woud come to îm to ask about partîcuary dîIcut passages o Rūmī. Aqa-yî Ha’îrî once tod us, “Do not tînk tat te ‘body’ o te Matnawīno order ( as nizam). Rater, ît îs [te poet] Nîzamî wo created te structured body înto wîc Rūmī breated te spîrît (ru) to create te Matnawī.” On readîng te present work, one becomes remînded o tîs sayîng o our od teacer. ït îs înterestîng to note tat te autors o tîs book reer to te eatures o paraeîsm and cîasmus present în Nîzamî’s poetry. Peraps Aqa-yî Ha’îrî was audîng to te înner structure o teMatnawī as reveaed uy or te irst tîme în tîs book. ïn any case te present study îs te irst to ave descrîbed tîs structure wît carîty or Book ï o tîs monumenta work wîe poîntîng to te presence o tîs structure în te oter ive Books.

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vîîî

Foreword

One mîgt ask, î over te centurîes tîs structure ad remaîned îdden, ow dîd readers beneit rom teMatnawīand wy as tîs work been ed as te greatest opus o Sui poetry. he answer îs tat teMatnawīîs repete wît te deepest meanîng at a eves ecoîng te Nobe Qur’an and one can derîve îmmensurabe beneit rom ît even î one does not ave a pîcture o te structure o te work as a woe în one’s mînd. et us start wît a sînge verse. here îs many a sînge verse o teMatnawīwîc îs împregnated wît te deepest meanîng, reveaîng a proound metapysîca trut or contaînîng precîous practîca advîce. Some o tese verses ave become proverbîa în te Persîan anguage as or exampe te we-known verse rom te story o Moses and te Seperd were God admonîses Moses în tese terms:

hou ast come to brîng about unîon, hou ast not come to cause separatîon.

hen tere are custers o verses tat togeter express în te prooundest manner some spîrîtua reaîty as în sectîons o te exordîum ornay-nama o teMatnawīte reaîty o ove. Ater tese two stages comes a woe about story suc as tat o te Kîng and te Save gîr were te woe story relects proound spîrîtua essons couced în te orm o narratîve. Over te centurîes Persîan speakers, as we as tose readîng teMatnawī în oter anguages rom Turkîs to Engîs, ave beneited îmmensey rom te content o te work on tese eves. But or neary a o tem te work as a woe as appeared as a rambîng coectîon o narratîves îke a vast ocean înto wîc one must dîve deepy în order to dîscover te precîous pears contaîned tereîn. At ast tîs book makes possîbe te apprecîatîon o te work on one more eve and tat îs te eve o te tota structure o eac Book and o te Matnawīas a woe, wîtout tîs dîscovery în any way dîmînîsîng rom te supreme sîgnîicance o understandîng te text on te eve o a sînge verse, a custer o verses or a sînge narratîve or story. To enabe us to understand te tota structure o te work, te autors învîte us to read ît synoptîcay, meanîng togeter as a woe rater tan separatey în înear but dîsconnected successîon, and tat means to read con- scîousy wît te vîsîon o te woe în mînd. he autors în act remînd us tat synoptîc în Greek as te meanîng o oîstîc conscîousness. ïn treatîng te text as a woe te autors are abe to revea a remarkaby ordered struc- ture based on paraeîsm and cîasmus as one aso inds în certaîn books o te Hebrew Bîbe suc as te Book o Numbers as we as în te Avesta, în Homer and wîtîn te ïsamîc tradîtîon în Nîzamî. To brîng out te structure