Love in poetry, Love and poetry, Love is poetry. All truths regarding the divine relationship between God's default expression (1 John 4:7-8) and that linguistic art of the poet. Based on humanity’s cultural progression, we can infer that before the written word was even a thing, poetry was not only valued, but essential for preserving and transmitting all significant knowledge across generations.
Throughout man's history, across cultures and civilizations, the highest regarded expressions of poetry have often been rooted in love. If we look at the literary golden ages of the past, we see that many traditions have placed the concept of love, both earthly and divine, at the core of their poetic endeavors. We also can't ignore the ongoing theme in all ancient scripture that Love is the only true bridge to get closer to the creator.
Today, I want to focus on the poetic contributions of the mystic sect commonly referred to as the "Sufis" or "Sufism". My recent study into the works of the world-renowned Sufi poet Rumi, has given me a newfound appreciation and intrigue towards the art.
Sufism, often described as the mystical branch of Islam, has a tradition of poetry that places love at the foundation of its spiritual philosophy. Some even consider Sufism to be the "heart" of Islam. For poets from this school of thought, love isn't merely a romantic passion, but a powerful force that leads the soul towards unity with the divine.
Sufism primarily classifies love on two levels:
For Sufis, this divine love creates an intense desire to be forever in union with God. This pursuit draws the devotee ever closer to spiritual enlightenment.
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (est 1207–1273)
If we're speaking on the presence of love in Sufi poetry, we need go no further than the aforementioned Rumi. Over the centuries, his work has been translated around the world. He is actually the top-sellng poet in the US today. For more on his personal life, see this post.
The biggest distinction between Sufi poetry and many other schools of thought is that Sufism elevates love to a divine principle, much superior to our earthly attachments. They see love as a method to purify the heart and prepare for the Infinite.
Peace & Love
