Margaret Yoon: Sufi Poetry

I enjoyed reading Sufi poetry because all three poets, Attar, Hafiz of Shiraz, and Jelaluddin Rumi express the depths of spiritual life very lyrically. I felt like when they describe their relationship with God, or the path to achieving reunion with God, it could almost seem like a “profane” or wordly relationship with another human being if taken out of context. They employ passionate tones that express their desire for complete oneness with God. Sufi poetry has had great influence on world literature, such as Goethe. He published his West-ostlicher Divan, a collection of lyric poems inspired by a German translation of Hafiz. American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson admired Persian poetry as well and published many essays that discuss it: Letters and Social Aims, From the Persian of Hafiz. A question I have for the Sufi poets is: How do you realize your purpose in the beginning? What made you desire this reunion with God-what was the stimulation?