Page 104 - Pure Life 29

International Multi. J. of PURE LIFE. 9 (29): 103-136, Serial Number 1, Winter 2022

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Reason, A Barrier or A Bridge to Pure Life: A Comparative Study
of the Poems of Rumi and Blake

1
Dr. Mahdi Dehghani Firouzabadi *, Dr. Mahdi Islami
2

1. * Assistant Prof. in Department of English Translation, Faculty of Humanities, Tolou-e Mehr
Institute of Higher Education, Qom, Iran; and PhD from University Sains Malaysia (Corresponding Author)

2. Assistant Prof. in Department of Mystical Literature, Faculty of Language and Literature, Imam
Sadiq Research Institute, Qom, Iran, mehdiislami2010@gmail.com

We appreciate our families, for helping us to compile the article.
ARTICL INFO ABSTRACT
Article History: SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES: Although Jalaluddin Rumi and

Received 03 September 2021 William Blake hail from different literary and cultural contexts, their
Revised 29 November 2021 poems bear interesting affinities. However, these affinities have not been
Accepted 26 January 2022

fully addressed by scholars. This paper will examine the role of reason in
the poetry of Rumi and Blake with regard to human endeavor towards
Key Words:
Partial Reason pure life which is union with God. In other words, the researchers
attempt to find out how it is possible to gain an in-depth understanding
Universal Reason
Pure Life of the theme of reason in the poetry of Rumi and Blake through
analyzing and interpreting their poems. In addition, the study tries to see
Rumi
Blake what the similarities and differences between the poetry of Rumi and Blake
are in a comparative manner, especially with regard to the theme of reason.
METHOD AND FINDING: The selected poems will be from Rumi’s
DOI: “Masnavi” and Blake’s “Book of Urizen” and “Four Zoas”. To compare
10.22034/IMJPL.2022.13188.1043
both poets’ views on reason, Totosy de Zepetnek’s approach of inclusion
DOR: will be employed. This comparative study is constructed on the doctrine
20.1001.1.26767619.2022.9.29.4.5 of perennial philosophy led by Aldous Huxley. The discussion will
concentrate on two main aspects namely, partial reason and its function
as a barrier to the good and pure life (Hayāt Tayyiba) as a desirable

human lifestyle and union with God. The second aspect concerns
universal reason and its function as a bridge to union with the Absolute Being.

CONCLUSION: Even though Rumi and Blake are originally from
diverse geographical, political, social, and religious milieu, they have
shared common ideas regarding the concepts of reason. Thus, a
comparative study of the two literary giants will pave the way for those
who are interested in finding the commonalities of Sufism and
Romanticism particularly in the poetry of Rumi and Blake.
* Corresponding Author:
Email: Article Address Published on the Journal Site:
dr.dehghani.ell@gmail.com http://p-l.journals.miu.ac.ir/article_6737.html
ORCID: 0000-0003-3343-7682

NUMBER OF NUMBER OF NATIONALITY OF
REFERENCES AUTHORS AUTHOR
22 2 (Iran)