Analysis Of Rumi's Poetry As The Code Of Life

Chapter # 03: Rumi’s Poetry as the Code of Life: - Rumi’s Poetry suffices platforms to discover the Code of Life. In this respect, we will zoom five of his parables to analyze this:
1. The Contention between the Greek and the Chinese Artists.

(Book 1, Parable 63)

2. The Man who planted the thorn-bush in the road and delayed to uproot it.

(Book 2, Parable 17)

3. How four persons quarreled about grapes, which were known to each of them by different name.

(Book 2, Parable 63)

4. The Elephant in the dark house.

(Book 3, Parable 22)

5. The Eagle that carried away the Prophet’s boot.

(Book 3, Parable 63)

The first parable selected for analysis is: “The story of the contention between the Greeks and the Chinese in the art of painting

The Elephant was in a dark house: some Hindus had brought it for exhibition. In order to see it, many people were going, everyone, into that darkness. As seeing it with the eye was impossible, (each one) was feeling it in the dark with the palm of his hand. The hand of one fell on its trunk: he said, “This creature is like a water-pipe.” The hand of another touchedits ear: to him it appeared to be like a fan. Since another handled its leg, he said, “I found elephant’s shape to be like a pillar.” Another laid his hand on its back: he said, “Truly, this is elephant was like a throne.” Similarly, whenever anyone heard (a description of the elephant), he understood (it only in respect of) the part that he had touched. On account of the (diverse) place (object) of view, their statements differed: one man entitled it “dal” another “alif”. If there had been a candle in each one’s hand, the difference would have gone out of their words. The eye of sense-perception is only like the palm of the hand: the palm has not power to reach the whole of him (the