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Secondary sourceBook1881

The Mesnevi

James W. Redhouse · 1881

James Redhouse's 1881 English translation of Book I of Rumi's Mesnevi, with material from his early biographer Aflaki.

A translation of Rumi's poetry into English, showing how his work reached Western audiences centuries later.

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Full text (public-domain edition)

About this source

What it is

This is an 1881 English translation by James Redhouse of the first book of Rumi's Mesnevi (Masnavi), published as part of Trübner's Oriental Series. It includes an account of Rumi's life drawn from the historian Shemsu'd-Din Ahmed el Eflaki, along with anecdotes about Rumi.

Why it matters

This translation is not Rumi's own words but a Victorian-era English rendering made over six centuries after his death. It marks an important moment in how Rumi's poetry became known to English readers in Britain, shaping Western understanding of his life and work.

Look closer

  • Why might a 19th-century British publisher have been interested in translating a 13th-century Persian poet?
  • What is gained and what might be lost when a poem is translated and 'versified' into another language?
  • How does using Aflaki's biography alongside the poems shape how readers understand Rumi?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Rumi (Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī) on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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