Rumi is one of the most read poets in the US. He was a wealthy nobleman, theologian and a scholar who lived in the Persian Empire during the 1200’s. One of the most reappearing characters in Rumi’s life was a holy man named Shams. According to Rumi himself, meeting Shams “transformed him from a bookish, sober scholar to an impassioned seeker of the truth and love”. Despite only spending 2 years together, the great impact Shams had on Rumi’s life is shown in many of his poems, in both life and death. It is said that when Shams was later murdered by Rumi’s youngest son, Rumi was driven to a severe state of grief and mourning. The result of this loss was him writing 70 000 verses of poetry, most likely including these two …show more content…
In a feeble attempt to avoid uncomfortable feelings rather than embracing them, we only expose ourselves to a more long lasting and growing heartache that will makes our souls feel heavy in time. In the poem “This Body is a Guesthouse” for example, the “guests” are symbols for the different thoughts that enter our bodies on a daily basis. He urges us to “Welcome them all for they may be messengers from the invisible” which means that every thought, good or bad, is meant to be felt, and there is a reason why “The invisible”, or the gods, have sent them to our guesthouse. We should, therefore, “not feel burdened by them or they may go back to non-existence”, and depriving ourselves of the wisdom we could’ve gained from embracing them. After we’ve embrace the thoughts and the emotions they bring, we will be rewarded with newfound clarity and the closure we need to move forward to more joyful thoughts and