Rumi - Jālāl al-Dīn Muammad Rūmī (English spelling)

Persian poet and mystic. He spent most of his life in Asia Minor (Rum), hence the name Rumi. He was born to a family of scholars in Balkh in the Khorasan region. Around 1219, he set out on a journey with his family, and ten years later reached Konya in Turkey, where he remained until his death. He learned various learnings from his father, and after his father's death, he learned mysticism from his father's disciple. In 1244, he had a fateful encounter with the wandering old mendicant Shams al-Din Mohammad (1185-1248), and through his exchange with the master, he was given poetic inspiration and began to compose poetry. The period from 1244 to 1261 is known as his lyric poetry period. During this period he composed passionate mystical lyric poems in memory of his late teacher; these poems, totalling some 36,000 verses, were named the Poems of Shamse Tabriz.

He is considered the greatest poet of mysticism because of his immortal mystical epic poem "Spiritual Masnavi". This masterpiece, also called "Persian Quran", was written from 1261 until his death, and consists of six volumes and about 26,000 lines. The essence, doctrine, and teachings of mysticism are expressed in poetry in the form of metaphors, fables, anecdotes, and stories. This work, which combines sober consciousness and mystical ecstasy, cannot be said to be a description of systematic mystical thought, but it is also evaluated as "the holy book and encyclopedia of mysticism". In addition to these two major works, "Rumi's Quatrains" also remains. He is also famous as the founder of the mystical sect "Mehlevi" (Dancing Dervis), and he wrote prose works such as "Rumi's Sayings", "Letter Collection", and "Seven Sermons". His son, Sultan Walad, was also a great mystic and poet, and his family's magnificent mausoleum in Konya remains a holy place to this day.

[Tsuneo Kuroyanagi October 19, 2016]

"Rumi's Sayings, translated by Toshihiko Izutsu (1978, Iwanami Shoten)" ▽ "Persian Poets, written by Tsuneo Kuroyanagi (1980, Tokyo Shimbun Publishing Bureau)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ペルシアの詩人、神秘主義者。生涯の大半を小アジア（ルーム）で過ごしたのでルーミーと号した。ホラサーン地方のバルフで学者の家に生まれる。1219年ごろ家族とともに流浪の旅に出立し、10年後トルコのコニヤ（コンヤ）に達し、死ぬまで同地にとどまった。父から諸学を修め、父の死後その弟子から神秘主義を学ぶ。1244年、放浪の老托鉢(たくはつ)僧シャムス・ウッディーンShams al-Din Mohammad（1185―1248）との運命的な出会いがあり、老師との交流によって詩的霊感を授けられ、作詩を始めた。1244年から1261年までを彼の叙情詩時代とよぶ。この時期、彼の前から消え去った老師をしのび、熱情的な神秘主義叙情詩を作詩したが、約3万6000句に達するこれらの詩は、『シャムセ・タブリーズ詩集』と命名された。

　彼が神秘主義の最高詩人と評されるのは、不朽の名作『精神的マスナビー』という神秘主義叙事詩による。「ペルシア語のコーラン」ともよばれるこの大作は、1261年から没するまでに作詩され、全6巻約2万6000句からなる。神秘主義の本質、教理、教訓が比喩(ひゆ)、寓話(ぐうわ)、逸話、物語などの形式で詩に詠まれている。醒(さ)めた意識と神秘主義的陶酔を交えるこの作品は、体系的神秘主義思想の記述とはいえないが、「神秘主義の聖典、百科全書」とも評価される。二大作品のほか『ルーミー四行詩集』も現存する。神秘主義教団「メフレビー教団」（踊るデルウィーシュ）の開祖としても名高い彼は、散文作品としては『ルーミー語録』『書簡集』『七つの説教』を執筆した。息子スルタン・ワラドも偉大な神秘主義者、詩人で、一門の壮麗な廟(びょう)はコニヤにあり、現在まで聖地となっている。

［黒柳恒男　2016年10月19日］

『井筒俊彦訳『ルーミー語録』（1978・岩波書店）』▽『黒柳恒男著『ペルシアの詩人たち』（1980・東京新聞出版局）』

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