What Is the Divan-e Shams and Where Can You Read It in English?

The Divan-e Shams (also written Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi) is the large collection of lyric poems Rumi wrote in the voice of, and in homage to, his spiritual companion Shams-e Tabrizi. It stands alongside the Mathnavi as one of Rumi's two major works, but it reads very differently: the Divan is made up of short lyric poems (ghazals), while the Mathnavi is a long narrative and didactic poem. If you want to read it in English, RumiOnFire.com hosts a section titled "Explore Divan-e Shams" with English translations, and the same site also offers Mathnavi translations, inspired poetry, and Persian miniature art.

What the Divan-e Shams actually is

The site presents itself as "a tribute to Molana Jalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi Rumi" and lists Divan-e Shams and Mathnavi as its two main translation sections. That pairing reflects the standard way Rumi's work is divided:

• Divan-e Shams — a large body of lyric poetry, traditionally associated with the ecstatic, musical, and often paradoxical voice Rumi adopted after his encounter with Shams.
• Mathnavi — a long, structured narrative poem used for teaching and storytelling.

The distinction matters for reading: the Divan is something you can open at any page and read one short poem at a time, while the Mathnavi rewards sustained, sequential reading.

Why it is named after Shams

The collection is named for Shams-e Tabrizi, the figure whose presence, according to the tradition the site reflects, transformed Rumi's life and writing. The site's own framing captures this tone with the line it displays prominently: "The wound is the place where the Light enters you," given in both English and Persian (زخم آن جاییست که نور در تو میتابد). That line is a useful sample of the register you will meet in the Divan — short, image-driven, and oriented toward inner experience rather than plot.

How to read it in English on RumiOnFire.com

The site's navigation is the practical starting point. Its listed sections are:

• Explore Divan-e Shams
• Mathnavi
• Inspired Poetry
• From Wheat to Bread
• Art Gallery
• Biography

To read the Divan in English, use the Explore Divan-e Shams entry. From there you are reading the site author's English translations rather than a commercial published edition, so treat it as one translator's rendering, not a scholarly critical text.

What else is on the site

If you finish a pass through the Divan section and want more, the site also links out to other Persian poetry resources by the same author:

• Divan-e Hafiz
• Omar Khayyam
• Zarathushtra
• Shahriari.com

These are useful if your interest is broader Persian poetry rather than Rumi specifically.

Usage conditions you should know before reusing anything

The site states its terms directly: you may use any material presented there for non-commercial purposes only, on the condition of giving full credit to the author and to the site, including a hyperlink when used on the internet. It also states that all translations and original poetry remain the intellectual property of the author.

So if you want to quote a translation in a blog post, a classroom handout, or a social media post, the conditions are: non-commercial use, full credit, and a link back. If your intended use is commercial, the site's stated terms do not cover it.

Quick comparison: Divan-e Shams vs. Mathnavi

Practical next step

If your goal is simply to find out what the Divan-e Shams is and start reading it in English, go to RumiOnFire.com, open Explore Divan-e Shams, and read a few short poems to get a feel for the lyric voice. Then compare one poem against a passage from the Mathnavi section on the same site to see how differently the two works read. Keep the usage terms in mind if you plan to reproduce anything.