A Comparative Study of Mysticism in Walt Whitman s Leaves of Grass and Rumi s Mathnavi

This paper intends to compare the depictions of mysticism in the poetry of Walt Whitman (1819-1892) and Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (1207-1273) to indicate the distinctions between their mystical experiences. It will be argued that the differences are rooted in the fact that these two illustrious poets belong to two different cultures, hence their portrayals of mysticism are fairly distinct. While Rumi has been referred to as a poet who deals with Sufism in a few of his poems, there is no trace of Sufism in Whitman s poetry. Nonetheless, it has to be noted that even Rumi did not live like a Sufi because unlike what is believed to be true by many people, as a poet he could not play the role of a wali who might train some murids. The paper also discusses the representations of divine love and physical love in the works of these two prominent literary figures

Keywords:

mysticism , Sufism , love , God , soul