Love Without Borders

Rumi is the bestselling poet in America — a remarkable fact given that he wrote in 13th-century Persian. But the translations that made him famous, particularly Coleman Barks's versions, often strip away the Islamic mystical context that gives the poetry its depth and structure.

Removing Rumi from his Sufi framework turns rigorous theological poetry into generic inspirational quotes. He was a deeply committed Muslim thinker whose love poetry is addressed ultimately to God, not to a human lover.