The Many Appeals Of The Color Red | Rumi Poem

This poem by Rumi is about the many facets of the color red; each shade is a symbol of hidden emotion and spiritual transformation. It hints at the deep inner riches we often keep secret, inviting us to love both the bold fire within us and the modesty that guards it.

Mawlana Jalaluddin Mohammad Balkhi, popularly known as "Rumi", is a 13th-century Sufi poet. Today, he is recognised as one of the greatest poets who ever lived, due in part to how his words seem to speak to the Divine.

Photo by Hoylee Song.
Translation by Coleman Barks.

Transcript

With shyness. The red that became all the rose garden reds. The Red Distance. Red of the stove and boiling water. Red of the Mountain Turning blood red now. Mountain holding Ruby secretly inside. Should I love more you? Or your modesty.