The Essential Rumi - Reissue: New Expanded Edition

What is the language of divine love? The Essential Rumi presents the most beloved poems of Jalal al-Din Rumi, the thirteenth-century Sufi mystic whose ecstatic verse has become the most widely read poetry in America. Though Rumi wrote in Persian over 700 years ago, Coleman Barks' luminous translations have made him a contemporary spiritual phenomenon, speaking to modern readers seeking wisdom about love, longing, transformation, and union with the divine. Rumi's poetry celebrates spiritual intoxication, divine love, and the soul's journey toward God with passion, humor, and profound insight. His voice is intimate and cosmic, playful and serious, using everyday images—lovers, wine, music, dancing—to express mystical truths about the nature of reality and the soul's relationship with the beloved divine.

This essential collection includes Rumi's most famous and beloved poems: ecstatic love poetry celebrating union with God; teaching stories and parables from the Masnavi; poems on spiritual transformation and the death of the ego; celebrations of music, dance, and divine intoxication; and meditations on longing, separation, and reunion with the beloved. Rumi writes as a lover consumed by longing for God, using the language of human love and desire to express mystical experience. His poetry is both accessible and profound, combining earthy humor with transcendent vision, practical wisdom with ecstatic celebration. Coleman Barks' translations capture Rumi's passionate, conversational voice, making these ancient Sufi teachings immediate and alive for contemporary readers.

For contemplative readers, Rumi's poetry offers profound meditation on love, longing, and spiritual transformation. His work asks: What is the nature of divine love? How do we surrender the ego and open to God? What does it mean to be consumed by longing for the beloved? How do we find the divine in everyday life? What is the relationship between human and divine love? Rumi's verse becomes a companion for the mystical path—teaching surrender, longing, transformation, and the ecstatic joy of union with the divine beloved.

What You'll Discover
Rumi's essential poems translated by Coleman Barks (1207-1273)
Ecstatic love poetry celebrating union with God
Teaching stories from the Masnavi
Poems on spiritual transformation, longing, and divine love
Contemplative insights into Sufi mysticism and the soul's journey
America's most beloved spiritual poet

Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273) was a Persian Sufi mystic, Islamic scholar, and poet whose spiritual teachings and ecstatic poetry have influenced seekers across traditions for centuries. After meeting the wandering dervish Shams of Tabriz, Rumi was transformed by divine love and spent the rest of his life teaching, writing poetry, and founding the Mevlevi Order (whirling dervishes). Coleman Barks, the premier interpreter of Rumi in English, has made these ancient mystical teachings accessible to millions of contemporary readers seeking spiritual wisdom and poetic beauty.

Perfect for: Readers of spiritual poetry and Sufi mysticism, students of Rumi and Islamic spirituality, contemplative readers exploring divine love and mystical experience, those interested in Persian poetry and Middle Eastern wisdom traditions, anyone drawn to ecstatic and devotional poetry, readers of interfaith spirituality and perennial wisdom, students of mystical literature and contemplative practice.

Paperback edition. Rumi's essential poems—offering contemplative wisdom on divine love, spiritual transformation, and mystical union through the ecstatic voice of the world's most beloved Sufi poet.