Rumi and Whitman in the Light of Sufism: A Comparative Reading

Muhammed Zandieh-e-Morady & Tahereh Kheradmand, Iran, CLEaR2016-318;          A learned reader knows that Whitman and other American transcendentalists have been readers of such mystic poets of Persia as Rumi, and hence familiar with the tents Sufism. Therefore, one can explore the mystical qualities inherent in the poetry of Whitman as a result of his mystical disposition affected by the tenets of Sufism. Based on such facts and through a comparative study, this paper will try to prove that the principles of Sufism observed in Rumi’s poetry are also applicable to that of Whitman. The present study aims to explore the nature of the existing similarities inherent in the poetry of the two poets in the light of Sufism.

Key Words: Intuition, Love, Mysticism, Sufism, Truth, Unity