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Mevlana is not a separate person from Rumi — it is an honorific title for the same 13th-century Persian poet, whose full name is Jalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi Rumi. "Mevlana" (also written Mevlânâ, Molana, or Mawlana) means "our master" or "our guide," and it is the name most commonly used in Turkish and Persian-speaking contexts. If you have seen "Rumi," "Molavi," and "Mevlana" in different books and assumed they were three different authors, they are all referring to one man.

One Poet, Several Names

The confusion is understandable because each name comes from a different language tradition and emphasizes a different aspect of his identity.

So a Turkish reader may call him Mevlana, an Iranian reader may call him Molavi, and an English reader will almost always find him as Rumi. The website Rumi On Fire, for example, introduces him under the full heading "Molana Jalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi Rumi" — stacking the titles together precisely because readers arrive using different names.

Why the Titles Matter

The titles are not decorative. "Mevlana" signals respect and is tied to his role as a spiritual teacher and founder of the Mevlevi order (the "whirling dervishes"). "Rumi," by contrast, is a geographic label coined by later Western writers — it says where he was from, not who he was. Knowing this helps you search more effectively: a query for "Mevlana" will surface Turkish and Persian sources, while "Rumi" will surface English translations.

His Two Major Works

Two long works anchor his reputation, and both are available in English translation:

• Divan-e Shams (also Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi) — a large collection of lyric poems, many of them ghazals, named after his companion Shams-e Tabrizi. It is the source of much of the ecstatic, love-centered poetry people associate with him.
• Mathnavi (Masnavi-ye Ma'navi) — a long didactic poem in rhyming couplets, often described as a spiritual epic, filled with stories, parables, and reflection.

The site Rumi On Fire organizes its material around exactly these two works, alongside inspired poetry, Persian miniature art, a biography, and an art gallery section ("From Wheat to Bread").

Where to Read Him in English

Rumi On Fire (rumionfire.com) presents itself as a tribute to Mevlana, offering English translations of the Divan-e Shams and Mathnavi, plus inspired poetry and Persian miniature art. It is one usable entry point among others. When choosing a translation source, it helps to check:

• Which work is being translated (Divan-e Shams and Mathnavi read very differently).
• Who the translator is and whether the translation is literal or adapted.
• Whether the source distinguishes translation from "inspired by" poetry — the site does separate these categories, which is useful for knowing what you are reading.

Using the Material Responsibly

Rumi On Fire states its conditions of use directly: you may use the material for non-commercial purposes only, provided you give full credit to the author and to the site, including a hyperlink when used on the internet. All translations and original poetry remain the intellectual property of the author. The site is credited to Shahriar and carries a copyright line of © 1999–2026, based in Vancouver and Los Angeles.

If you plan to quote or republish anything from a translation site like this, read its terms first — attribution and non-commercial limits are common, and they are stated here rather than left implicit.

The Short Answer

Mevlana, Molavi, and Rumi are three names for one poet: Jalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi Rumi. "Mevlana" is an honorific meaning "our master," used mainly in Turkish and Persian; "Rumi" is the Western geographic label. His central works are the Divan-e Shams and the Mathnavi, and English readers can find translations of both at rumionfire.com, subject to its attribution and non-commercial use conditions.

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.

Persian poetry is a thousand-year literary tradition written in Farsi, built on a small set of repeating forms — the ghazal, the masnavi, the rubai — and read today in English mainly through translations of Rumi, Hafiz, Omar Khayyam, and Zarathushtra. If you want to start, begin with short lyric poems or famous single lines in bilingual editions, then move to longer works like the Divan-e Shams or the Mathnavi. The rest of this guide explains the forms, the poets, and where English readers can actually find the texts.

What makes Persian poetry distinct

Persian poetry is not defined by a single meter or theme but by a shared toolkit that poets reused for centuries:

• A fixed repertoire of forms. Poets wrote within established structures rather than inventing new ones, so a ghazal by Hafiz and a ghazal by Rumi share recognizable rules.
• Radif and qafiya. Many poems repeat a word or short phrase (the radif) at the end of each line, with a rhyme (qafiya) before it. This creates a drumbeat effect that translations often lose.
• Layered meaning. A single line can work as earthly love, mystical longing, and a philosophical statement at once. This is why Rumi is read both as a love poet and as a spiritual teacher.
• Oral and musical life. These poems were sung and recited, not only read silently, which is why rhythm matters so much in the original.

The main forms you will encounter

The practical difference for a reader: a ghazal gives you self-contained couplets you can read one at a time, while a masnavi is a sustained narrative or teaching poem you read in sequence. If you want to sample Persian poetry quickly, ghazals and rubaiyat are the easiest entry points.

The poets most often read in English

• Rumi (Molana Jalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi) — the most widely translated Persian poet in the English-speaking world. His two major works are the Divan-e Shams (lyric ghazals) and the Mathnavi (a long teaching poem).
• Hafiz — master of the ghazal, whose Divan-e Hafiz is a central text of Persian literature.
• Omar Khayyam — known in English largely through his quatrains, popularized by Victorian translations.
• Zarathushtra — associated with the Gathas, hymns in an older Iranian language, often grouped with Persian literary heritage in translation collections.

A useful distinction: Rumi's Divan-e Shams is where you go for ecstatic, image-heavy lyric poetry, while the Mathnavi is where you go for extended stories and moral or mystical argument.

Where to read Persian poetry in English

RumiOnFire.com is a tribute site to Rumi that hosts English translations of the Divan-e Shams and the Mathnavi, along with inspired poetry, a biography, and Persian miniature art. Its structure gives you several entry points:

• Divan-e Shams — lyric ghazals, good for reading a few poems at a time.
• Mathnavi — longer teaching poems, better read in order.
• Inspired Poetry — original English poems in the same spirit, useful if you want to see how the tradition translates into new work.
• Biography — background on Rumi's life, which helps make sense of the poems' references.
• Art Gallery — Persian miniature art, a visual companion to the literary tradition.

The site also links to related collections on Divan-e Hafiz, Omar Khayyam, and Zarathushtra, so it functions as a small hub for Persian poetry in English rather than a single-author page.

Usage condition to note: the site states that its material may be used for non-commercial purposes only, with full credit to the author and the site, including a hyperlink when used online. All translations and original poetry remain the author's intellectual property. If you plan to quote or reuse anything, follow that condition.

How to start reading — a practical sequence

1. Start with single lines and short poems. Famous lines such as "The wound is the place where the Light enters you" (given on RumiOnFire.com alongside the Farsi: زخم آن جاییست که نور در تو میتابد) let you test whether the style appeals to you before committing to a long work.
2. Read bilingual when you can. Seeing the Farsi next to the English shows you where the radif and rhyme fall, which explains why the English sounds different from the original.
3. Move to ghazals. Read one couplet at a time from the Divan-e Shams; each couplet is designed to stand on its own.
4. Then try the Mathnavi. Read sequentially, since the stories build on each other.
5. Add context. Read a short biography of the poet — Rumi's relationship with Shams, for instance — because many poems assume that background.

What to watch for in translation

• Rhyme and radif usually disappear. English translations often keep the meaning and drop the sound pattern, so a poem that feels loose in English may be tightly rhymed in Farsi.
• Ambiguity is often flattened. A translator must choose whether a line is about human love or divine love; the original may mean both.
• Cultural references need footnotes. Qur'anic allusions, Sufi terminology, and courtly conventions may be opaque without notes.
• Translations vary widely. Two English versions of the same Rumi poem can read as different poems. Comparing translations is one of the most reliable ways to sense what the original is doing.

If your goal is simply to enjoy Persian poetry in English, start with a ghazal from the Divan-e Shams and a few quatrains, read them alongside the Farsi where available, and treat the Mathnavi as a longer project rather than a first step.

The Mathnavi (also spelled Masnavi or Mathnawi) is Rumi's six-volume spiritual epic in Persian verse, and you can read it in English through published translations by scholars such as R. A. Nicholson, Jawid Mojaddedi, and Coleman Barks, as well as selected translations on sites like Rumi On Fire. It differs from the Divan-e Shams in form and purpose: the Mathnavi is a long teaching poem of interlocking stories, while the Divan-e Shams is a collection of shorter lyric poems attributed to Rumi's encounter with Shams-e Tabriz. Choose the Mathnavi if you want Rumi as a storyteller and teacher; choose the Divan if you want Rumi as an ecstatic lyric voice.

What the Mathnavi actually is

The Mathnavi is a single work in six books (daftars), composed in rhyming couplets. Its opening lines — the famous "Song of the Reed" — frame the whole poem as a lament of separation, and that theme runs through everything that follows. Within the six volumes Rumi moves constantly between:

• Narrative — folk tales, scriptural stories, and anecdotes about saints and prophets.
• Commentary — digressions that unpack the spiritual meaning of a story.
• Lyric interruption — sudden passages of longing or praise that break the narrative frame.

This layered structure is why the Mathnavi is often described as a teaching text rather than a straightforward poem. A single story can run for pages, then stop while Rumi explains what it means, then resume or be abandoned for a new story.

Why it is called "the Quran in Persian"

The Mathnavi is frequently given this epithet in Persian and Sufi tradition because it weaves Quranic imagery, prophetic stories, and ethical teaching into Persian verse for audiences who wanted religious meaning in their own language. The comparison is traditional and honorific, not a claim that the Mathnavi replaces or equals the Quran. Treat it as a description of the work's role in Sufi pedagogy: it teaches through parable and commentary in the way a sermon or lesson might, but in poetry.

Mathnavi vs. Divan-e Shams

Both belong to Rumi's body of work, and many readers move between them. If you are new to Rumi and want a single poem to read in one sitting, the Divan is usually easier. If you want to follow an argument or a story across many pages, the Mathnavi is the one to pick.

How to choose an English translation

English versions of the Mathnavi fall into roughly three kinds, and the right one depends on what you want from the text.

• Scholarly and literal — R. A. Nicholson's translation, with its commentary, is the standard reference for close study. It preserves the structure and much of the literal sense, at the cost of poetic flow.
• Poetic and contemporary — Jawid Mojaddedi's verse translation aims to read as English poetry while staying close to the Persian. Good for readers who want both accuracy and readability.
• Interpretive and free — Coleman Barks's versions are widely read and highly musical, but they are adaptations rather than close translations. Read them as English poems inspired by Rumi, not as a guide to the Persian.

A practical rule: if you plan to quote, cite, or study the Mathnavi, use a scholarly or verse translation and note which one. If you are reading for pleasure or inspiration, an interpretive version is fine — just know what you are holding.

Where to read it in English online

• Rumi On Fire (rumionfire.com) — a tribute site to Mevlana Jalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi Rumi offering English translations of the Divan-e Shams and Mathnavi, alongside inspired poetry and Persian miniature art. Its Mathnavi section is a reasonable starting point for reading selected passages in English before committing to a full translation.
• Published translations — Nicholson, Mojaddedi, and Barks are available through libraries and bookshops; check your local library first if you want to compare versions before buying.
• Public-domain texts — older translations such as Nicholson's are in the public domain and appear on archive and academic sites, which makes them useful for study and citation.

When using any online collection, check the site's terms. Rumi On Fire, for example, permits non-commercial use of its material only with full credit to the author and the site, including a hyperlink when used online, and notes that all translations and original poetry remain the author's intellectual property.

How the Mathnavi connects to Rumi's life and Sufi teaching

Rumi composed the Mathnavi late in life, after the disappearance of Shams-e Tabriz and after years of teaching and preaching in Konya. Where the Divan-e Shams is bound up with that loss and with the intensity of Rumi's relationship to Shams, the Mathnavi is the work of a teacher addressing students and seekers. That context explains its shape: stories told to instruct, commentary offered to clarify, and lyric passages that return the reader to the experience the teaching points toward. Reading the Mathnavi as Sufi teaching literature — rather than as a collection of standalone poems — makes its digressions and repetitions legible as method rather than flaw.

A quick way to start

1. Read the opening of Book One (the "Song of the Reed") in two different translations and compare them.
2. Pick one short story from the Mathnavi and follow it through to Rumi's commentary on it.
3. If you want more of Rumi's lyric voice afterward, move to the Divan-e Shams.
4. If you want to keep studying, choose one translation as your reference text and stay with it so the terminology remains consistent.

Rumi is the 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi mystic whose full name appears on Rumi On Fire as Molana Jalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi Rumi. If you want to read him in English, the two works to start with are the Divan-e Shams and the Mathnavi, and Rumi On Fire (rumionfire.com) offers English translations of both alongside inspired poetry and Persian miniature art.

Who Rumi Was

Rumi is known in Persian tradition as Molana (also written Mevlana) Jalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi. The site presents him under that full name, which is why you will see "Rumi," "Molavi," and "Mevlana" used for the same figure. He is identified as a Persian poet and Sufi mystic, and his writing sits within the Persian poetic tradition rather than the Arabic one.

That naming matters when you search. A library catalog or bookstore may file him under any of these forms, and English-language sites often use "Rumi" alone.

His Two Central Works

Rumi On Fire organizes its translations around two collections:

The site treats these as the core texts and links to each separately, so you can go directly to the collection you want rather than browsing a single undifferentiated pile of poems.

What His Poetry Is About

The themes running through the material on Rumi On Fire are love, spiritual transformation, and the meaning of pain. The site's own excerpt gives the clearest example:

The wound is the place where the Light enters you. زخم آن جاییست که نور در تو میتابد

Note that the Persian line is given alongside the English. If you read even a little Farsi, comparing the two is one way to judge how a translator has handled the original.

Where to Read Him in English

Rumi On Fire is a tribute site rather than a publisher or a shop. Its English-language material includes:

• Translations of the Divan-e Shams
• Translations of the Mathnavi
• Inspired poetry (original work by the site's author, not translations)
• A Persian miniature art gallery
• A biography section
• A piece titled "From Wheat to Bread"

The site also links to other projects by the same author, Shahriar: pages for Divan-e Hafiz, Omar Khayyam, and Zarathushtra, plus Shahriari.com.

Because the site is a personal tribute, treat it as one translator's reading of Rumi rather than a scholarly edition. If you need a text for academic citation, check what edition and translator your course or publication requires before relying on any single website.

Using the Material Legally

The conditions of use on Rumi On Fire are explicit and worth reading before you republish anything:

• Non-commercial use only. The site states you may use any material presented there for non-commercial purposes only.
• Full credit required. You must credit the author and the site, including a hyperlink when the material appears on the internet.
• Translations and original poetry remain the author's intellectual property. The translations are not free of authorship just because the Persian originals are centuries old.
• The site is credited © 1999–2026 RumiOnFire.com, Vancouver & Los Angeles.

So if you want to quote "The wound is the place where the Light enters you" on a personal blog or in a classroom handout, the site's terms point to a clear path: credit the author and link back. For anything commercial, the stated terms do not grant permission, and you would need to seek it separately.

A Practical Starting Order

If you are new to Rumi, a workable sequence is: read the biography page first for context, then sample the Divan-e Shams for short lyric pieces, then move to the Mathnavi for longer narrative passages. Keep the Persian line next to the English where it is provided, and note which translator you are reading — with Rumi in English, the translator shapes the poem as much as the original does.