One of the Greatest Persian Classic Book O brother, you are that same thought (of yours); as for the rest(of you), you are (only) bone and fibre. If your thought is a rose, you are a rose-garden; and if it is a thorn, you are fuel for the bath stove. ای برادر تو همان اندیشه ای ما بقی تو استخوان و ریشه ای گر گلست اندیشهٔ تو گلشنی ور بود خاری تو هیمهٔ گلخنی Mathnawi Maˈnavi (also known as Masnavi or "Spiritual Couplets of Maulana") is one of the most influential works of both Sufism and Persian literature. The Masnavi, written by Jalal al-Din Muhammad, Rumi is a series of six books of poetry containing more than 25,000 verses. This spiritual writing teaches Sufis how to reach their goal of being in true love with God. Rumi is one of the best Persian poets and the Mathnawi is his masterpiece. Rumi used Persian and Arabic in his poetry. By the end of the 20th century, Rumi's popularity had become a global phenomenon, with his poetry achieving a wide circulation in the United States and western Europe. His poems have been translated into many different languages including Turkish, Urdu, French, Turkmen, Spanish, English, Arabic, German, Italian, Albanian, Swedish, etc. Reynold Alleyne Nicholson's translation of Mathnawi is based on the oldest known manuscripts. The prose translation, similarly, is intended to be an exact and faithful guide to the Persian. In Book, the second of six volumes, we travel with Rumi toward an understanding of the deeper truth and reality, beyond the limits of the self. We are very happy that the Mathnawi Maˈnavi of Rumi has found its way to you! Published By: Persian Learning Center www.persianbell.com