The Masnavi Book Three (Oxford World´s Classics New Edition)

• The Masnavi is the greatest work by the Persian mystic Rumi, widely recognized as the greatest Sufi poem ever written, and often referred to as 'the Qur'an in Persian'.
• This is the first ever verse translation of Book Three of the Masnavi, and the first translation of any kind for over eighty years.
• The translation is based on the best critical edition of the original text, which is in turn based on the most authentic manuscripts.
• The accompanying introduction and notes make this the ideal introduction to Rumi for the non-specialist reader.
• This is the sequel to Jawid Mojaddedi's translations of Book One (2004) and Book Two (2007). Book One was the winner of the Lois Roth Prize from the American Institute of Iranian Studies.

'Your soul each moment struggles hard with death -
Think of your faith as though it's your last breath.
Your life is like a purse, and night and day
Are counters of gold coins you've put away'

Rumi is the greatest mystic poet to have written in Persian, and the Masnavi is his masterpiece. Divided into six books and consisting of some 26,000 verses, the poem was designed to convey a message of divine love and unity to the disciples of Rumi's Sufi order, known today as the Whirling Dervishes. Like the earlier books, Book Three interweaves amusing stories with homilies to instruct pupils in mystical knowledge. It has a special focus on epistemology, illustrated with narratives that involve the consumption of food.

This is the first ever verse translation of Book Three of the Masnavi. It follows the original by presenting Rumi's most mature mystical teachings in simple and attractive rhyming couplets.

Readership: Readers of classic poetry and those interested in Islam; students of Islam, Persian, Near and Middle Eastern Studies, and Comparative Literature; anyone interested in Rumi, Sufism, Islamic History and Literature. New Age enthusiasts of mysticism.