Works of Mevlâna

MESNEVİ

Mesnevi is the name given to a certain poetry style in the classical eastern literature. It's dictionary meaning is "two by two" or "doubleness". In literature the verses which have the same measure and where each couplet is in rhyme seperately within itself are called Mesnevi. As each couplet rhymes within itself even though all have the same measure, there is great ease in writing the Mesnevi. Hence for themes which are likely to be long, or for stories to be told in verse form, Mesnevi style was chosen for its easy rhyme mould.

Even though Mesnevi is a verse style of the classical eastern poetry, the word "Mesnevi" always brings to mind the "Mesnevi of Mevlana"

Mevlana wrote his mesnevi upon the request of Çelebi Hüsameddin. According to his secretary Hüsameddin Çelebi, Mevlana would come up with the couplets when relaxing at Meram, while sitting, walking and even during the Samah; and the Çelebi Hüsameedin would note them down.

The language of Mesnevi is Persian. According to the oldest copy available which is dated 1278, and displayed at the Mevlana Museum the number of couplets is 25618

Measure of the Mesnevi is :

Fa i la tün - Fa i la tün - Fa i lün

Mevlana in his 6 large volumed Mesnevi puts forward the Sufi thoughts and philosophy in intertwined stories.

Divanı - Kebir
Is the name given to the notebook in which the classical poets of the Ottoman period collected their work.It literally means the "Big Book" or the "Big Divan".

All of the poems Mevlana recited on different subjects are in this book. Even though the language of the collection is Persian, it includes poems in Arabic, Turkish and Greek.

Divan-ı Kebir, the big collection, was formed by combining 21 small collections (Bahir) and the Rubai collection together. The number of couplets in Divan-ı Kebirs is more than 40.000.

As Mevlana wrote some of the poems in the Big Collection with the pseudonym of Şems, this collection is sometimes called "Divan-ı Şems" - The Book of Şems. The poems included are arranged with due consideration to meter and rhyme.

Mektubat (Letters)
Includes 147 letters written mainly to Seljuk Sultans and other dignitaries of the time, to give advice or to comment and provide illuminating information on religious issues for which his view or help is seeked. Mevlana did not follow the rules of writing letters in a literate style but wrote in exactly the same manner as he talked. He also did not use the traditional words of servitude such as "your servant", etc.

Except the titles or positions used in addressing, he preferred to address the reader in a manner and in words best suited to the mind, belief and deeds of the person he was writing to.

Fihi Ma Fih
Fihi Ma Fih means "what he has in him is in him". This collection was put together by his son Sultan Veled as the talks he gave at various gatherings. It consists of 61 sections. Some of these sections address the Seljuk Vizier Süleyman Pervane. As some political incidents are also touched upon, this work is regarded as a historical source.

The talks, are about themes such as heaven and hell, worldand the other world, master and the disciple and love and sema

Mecalis-İseb'a (Seven Courts)
As the name indicates these are the seven sermons given or courts held by Mevlana, which were noted down. The sermons of Mevlana were noted by Çelebi Hüsameddin or his son Sultan Veled and later some additions were made without touching the substance. It is very likely that the work was corrected by Mevlana after its editing was completed.

Mevlana, for whom poetry was not an end but a means of expressing his ideas, the issues he took up at his seven courts are:

1. The way to salvation for nations which have swerved from the right path
2. Avoiding fault and awakening from thoughtlessness with the way of the mind.
3. The power of belief
4. Those who repent and find the right way are the belowed subjects of the God
5. The value of knowledge
6. Slumber of indifference
7. Importance of the mind
 

In those seven courts, besides the main theme a total of 41 sermons are also transmitted. Each sermon chosen by Mevlana has a social context. In each section he starts by thanking God and giving a silent prayer. He used to make the subject to be discussed and his Sufi ideas more attractive with stories and poetry. This is the exact style used in writing the Mesnevi.