Rumi meeting Shams-i Tabrizi for the First Time [Persian Manuscript] (Public Domain Image)

The Mesnevi and the Acts of the Adepts tr. by James W. Redhouse [1881]

In spite of the fact that the Persian Sufi master Rumi has achieved huge name reconition, his works took a long time to be translated into English. This was one of the first English translations of a major portion of Rumi's Masnavi, his largest work. The complete Masnavi is said to comprise 25,700 couplets. This translation is of the first book (of six) of the Masnavi; this was as far as Redhouse apparently got with his translation. Later, in 1898, E.H. Whinfield released an abridged translation of the first six books, also available at this site (here). The first complete translation of the Masnavi was by R.A. Nicholson, published in London by Luzac and Co. from 1925-40. A.J. Arberry also published several ground-breaking translations of Rumi in the mid-20th century.

The Acts of the Adepts, which forms the first part of this book, is also notable. This is an abridged translation of the Menaqibu 'l Arifin, by the historian Eflaki. This is a remarkable collection of legendary stories about the early Sufis.

Both of these texts appear for the first time on the Internet at sacred-texts.

The Acts of the Adepts

The Book of the Mesnevī