First Two Pages of Jalal al-Din Rumi's Masnavi

Inscriptions

"HEARKEN to the reed-flute, how it complains, Lamenting its banishment from its home: "Ever since the tore me from my osier bed, My plaintive notes have moved men and women to tears. I burst my breast, striving to give vent to sighs, And to express the pangs of my yearning from my home. He who abides far away from his home Is ever longing for the day he shall return. My wailing is heard in every throng, In concert with them that rejoice and them that weep."

Label

Delve into the mystical world of 15th-century Persian poet Jalal al-Din Rumi with these first two pages from his notable work titled the Masnavi. Rumi, a luminary of Sufi Islam, sought spiritual enlightenment through his poetry, echoing the Quran’s teachings. The manuscript’s pages, crafted during Persia’s zenith of manuscript illumination in the 16th century, enchant the viewer with their vibrant script and ornate arabesque patterns, punctuated by gilded accents. These intricate details contribute to the mystical experience of reading them.

Notice the text’s eloquent beginning: “Hearken to the reed-flute, how it complains.” This stands as a metaphor for the human soul’s yearning for spiritual homecoming. Rumi’s poetry continues to inspire Muslims and aspects of Islamic popular culture today through reinforcing the mystical sect of Islam, Sufism, including its poetry and dancing. As you view these pages, consider how Rumi’s profound mysticism has endured.

From the 2024 exhibition A Space for Dialogue 120, Faces of Faith: Unveiling the Beauty of Islamic Art, curated by Noor Najeeb '25, Conroy Intern

Course History

WGST 41.4, Transnational Muslim Feminisms, Zahra. Ayubi, Fall 2014

REL 28.4, Gender in Islam, Candace Mixon, Winter 2019

REL 28.04, MES 19.05, WGSS 43.06, Gender in Islam, Zahra Ayubi, Spring 2020

Religion 28.04, Middle Eastern Studies 19.05, Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies 43.06, Gender in Islam, Zahra Ayubi, Summer 2023

Art History 31.01, Arts of South Asia, Seher Agarwala, Fall 2023

Religion 28.04, Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 43.06, Middle Eastern Studies 19.05, Gender in Islam, Zahra Ayubi, Summer 2024

Exhibition History

A Space for Dialogue 120, Faces of Faith: Unveiling the Beauty of Islamic Art, Noor Najeeb '25, Conroy Intern, Alvin P. Gutman Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, September 7 - October 27, 2024.

Asian Art from the College Collection, Barrows Print Room and Strauss Gallery, Hopkins Center Art Galleries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 5-31.

Harrington Silver Case, Hopkins Center Art Galleries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, February 1-April 1, 1983.

Loew Lobby, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, October 1, 2004-February 13, 2005.

The Nature of Empire, Barrows Print Room, Hopkins Center Art Galleries, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, July 10-August 18, 1984.

Provenance

Reiza Khan Monif (1850/51-1923), Paris and New York; to his son, Hassan Khan Monif (1888-1964), 640 Madison Avenue, New York; sold to present collection, 1931.

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