Jalaloddin Rumi s Masnavi ye Ma navi or Spiritual Couplets composed in the 13th Century is a monumental work of poetry in the Sufi tradition of Islamic mysticism For centuries before his love poetry became a literary phenomenon in the West Rumi s Masnavi had been revered in the Islamic world as its greatest mystical text Drawing upon a vast array of characters stories and fables and deeply versed in spiritual teaching it takes us on a profound and playful journey of discovery along the path of divine love toward its ultimate goal of union with the source of all Truth In Book Two of the Masnavi the second of six volumes we travel with Rumi toward an understanding of the deeper truth and reality beyond the limits of the self Alan Williams s authoritative new translation is rendered in highly readable blank verse and includes the original Persian text for reference True to the spirit of Rumi s poem this new translation establishes the Masnavi as one of the world s great literary achievements for a global readership Translated with an introduction notes and analysis by Alan Williams and including the Persian text edited by Mohammad Este lami