COMPARISON OF

MESNEVİ BY RUMİ
AND THE
CANTERBURY
TALES BY CHAUCER
 AIM OF
The aim of comparing The

PRESENTATION
Canterbury Tales and Mesnevi lies
in understanding how two
different cultures used
storytelling to reflect on human
existence, society, and
spirituality. Both works serve as
profound examinations of the
human condition, but with varying
approaches based on the cultural,
religious, and philosophical
environments from which they
and Rûmî. He became famous as a Sufi poet.
The main subject of his works is to make
Who is Mevlana
sense of human life through divine
love.Mevlana is a devout Sunni Muslim. His
Jalaluddin Rumi?
poetry emphasises a transcendence that
transcends religious doctrines. His works
are constructed from an Islamic point of
view. In Mevlana's understanding of God,
God approaches everyone with tolerance
regardless of belief. The basis of living a
spiritual life is to know and remember God.
Mevlana was born in present-day
Afghanistan or Tajikistan to a well-educated
Persian-speaking family. His father was an
Islamic scholar. Mevlana, like his father,
educated himself as an Islamic scholar,
entered the path of Sufism and gained great
fame. In 1244 he met the mystic Shams-i
Tebrizi (1185-1248). In 1248, after the
disappearance of Shams, Mevlana started to
Mevlana's poems were written with
a deep understanding of the human
world. In his works, he treated the
spiritual pleasure of divine love and
the pain of separation together.
Divine love has always held a
central place in Mevlana's poetry
and he tried to convey this message
through symbols, metaphors taken
from the Holy Quran, stories,
hadiths, elements of Iranian
mythology and examples from daily
life.
Mevlana put the emotions he felt
during the sema into poetry. Thus,
 WHO IS GEOFFREY CHAUCER?
Geoffrey Chaucer, born between 1340 and 1344 in London to affluent wine merchant
John Chaucer and Agnes Copton, held various roles throughout his life, benefiting
from his father's connections. These included serving as a page, diplomat, civil
servant, and collector of scrap metal. His education is not fully documented but likely
included French, Latin, and Italian, inferred from his works.
In 1359, Chaucer was captured during the Hundred Years' War and ransomed by King
Edward III. He married Philipa de Roet in 1366, and in 1367, the king granted him a
life pension. Chaucer's diplomatic missions, including visits to Italy in 1372 and 1378,
exposed him to the works of Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch, deeply influencing his
literary creations.
Chaucer’s early works were inspired by French love poetry, including The Romaunt of
the Rose and Saint Cecilia. He was appointed Controller of Customs for London in
1374 and began producing Italian-influenced works, such as Anelida and Arcite,
Parlement of Foules, and Troilus and Criseyde.
By 1386, Chaucer had moved to Kent, where he became a justice of the peace and a
member of Parliament. His wife’s death in 1387 marked the beginning of his period of
artistic maturity, highlighted by the General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales.
Chaucer continued working on The Canterbury Tales until his death in 1400, with the
work considered a cornerstone of English literature, offering insightful portrayals of
medieval society.
 MASNAVI
The work titled "Masnavi," in which Mevlânâ Celâleddîn-i Rûmî (d.
672/1273) showcases his own understanding of Sufism, consists of 6
books. The Masnavi, composed of 25,700 couplets, is written in
Persian.
Why is the work named Masnavi?
Mevlânâ's Masnavi is named after the poetic form known as
"masnavi," which involves writing in rhymed couplets. The name is
also influenced by the meaning of the word masnavi, which means "to
double something" or "to multiply by two." In Sufism, dualities such
as light and darkness, good and evil, or beauty and ugliness are
fundamental concepts, and they manifest in pairs. Mevlânâ’s Sufi
understanding is built upon these contrasts, viewing all experiences as
reflections of God’s blessings, including both beauty and ugliness.
Additionally, Mevlânâ gave his work other names like Keşşâfü’l-
Ķur’ân, Fıķh-ı Ekber, Sayķalü’l-ervâh, and Hüsâmînâme, further
indicating that the naming of Masnavi aligns with his Sufi philosophy.
The work is widely known as Masnavi after it became famous, and it is
considered a spiritual guide. Written in a didactic yet emotional
language, it addresses the core of Sufism and has influenced extensive
commentary in Turkish literature. Abdurrahman-ı Câmî described
Mevlânâ as someone who, though not a prophet, had a profound
spiritual book, underscoring the significance of the Masnavi as a key
work for those on the path of spiritual growth.
 How did the Masnavi begin to be written?
At the request of his sheikh, Ulu Arif Çelebi, the work entitled The Manifestations of the
Graces, which was completed in 35 years, was written in Persian by Ahmed Eflakî. Its
importance for us is that it contains historical facts about Mevlana and Mevlevism. In this
work, Ahmed Eflakî also mentions the writing of the Masnavi. According to this work,
Hüsâmeddin Çelebi, who was Mawlana's scribe and first caliph, mentioned his deep
knowledge and asked Mawlana to write a masnavi showing the truths of Sufism like Senâî and
Ferîdüddin Attâr. At this moment, Mawlana took out a scroll from his turban and said,
“Before this idea came to your heart, my heart was inspired by the unseen world to compose
this book of verse,” and showed his successor his Masnavi, of which he had written the first 18
couplets. According to the consensus of many sources, this is how the process of writing the
work began.
Hüsamettin Çelebi became Mevlana's scribe. Mevlana said these couplets with inspiration and
his successor Hüsamettin Çelebi wrote these couplets.The Masnavi is not systematic and
organised because it was spoken spontaneously and written by Hüsamettin Çelebi. In other
words, a plan is not sought in the work. Even the dialogues between Hüsamettin Çelebi and
Mevlana are included in the work.
What is the purpose of writing Masnavi? CONTENT
Mevlana did not write his work Mesnevi for an artistic The Masnavi begins with ‘Listen’. This also has a special meaning.
purpose. In his teaching, art, that is, poetry, was a tool to Reading the Qur'an is a good deed, but listening to the Qur'an while
convey what he wanted to teach. Otherwise, for Mevlana, it is being read is a greater good deed. In addition, the be sound of
meaning is too deep to fit into poetry. He thinks that even the word ‘Bişrev’ in the Masnavi, which begins with ‘bişrev’, is the
be sound of the besmel. The first 18 couplets always begin with the
if poems with not two meanings, not two layers but ten
verb bişrev, listen.
layers are written, the meaning still cannot be given In Masnavi, the understanding of Sufism is explained through
completely. He sees poetry as a description of meaning, various animal stories. These stories represent human actions and
which he already writes in his work. Despite this, we experiences.
cannot say that the literary structure of Masnavi is bad. Mevlana also touches upon his period in his work Mesnevi. For the
Do not get the idea from this section that Mevlana Mongolian invasions, it encourages people to be patient, signalling
underestimated poetry, Mevlana did not underestimate that bright times will soon come.
poetry, he even glorified poetry because his teachings In his work Mesnevi, Mawlana tries to be a guide to the murshid
through poetry, that is, he aims to be a guide for those who devote
were expressed in the form of poetry, he just found it
themselves to the path of Allah.
insufficient. His poetry is seen as a tool, so he gives importance to the content.
Mevlana says that his work does not consist only of Despite this, we cannot say that his literary aspect is bad.
words and rhyme, but what really constitutes it is It examines religion and religious methods in content.
meaning. Its content is based on the Qur'an and Sunnah. According to some
He also says that those who are obsessed with the form commentators, the work is a verse commentary of the Qur'an. The
will not understand the meaning, and those who reason for this is that around 50 of the 950-odd stories are titled with
understand the meaning are not obsessed with the form. verses and 53 of them are hadiths.
The first 18 couplets are the part where the summary of the work is
given and written by Mevlana's own hand.
 1. Love (Isk)

2. Existence and Nonexistence

3. Integrity and Unity

4. Transcending Self and Ego

5. Continuous Learning and Travelling

6. Sufism and Inner Journey

7. World and Hereafter

8. Doubts and Reality

BASIC AND 9. Sharia, Tariqa, Truth

PHILOSOPHICAL
 THE CANTERBURY TALES
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the
late 14th century, around 1387-1400. It is considered one of the most important
works in English literature and provides a vivid portrayal of medieval English
society. The tales are told by a group of pilgrims traveling to the shrine of Thomas
Becket at Canterbury Cathedral, and each pilgrim narrates a story during their
journey.
The work is structured as a frame narrative, where the pilgrims, from various walks
of life, engage in storytelling as a way to pass the time. There are 24 stories in total,
though Chaucer originally planned for more, and each tale reflects the values,
beliefs, and social conditions of the time. The pilgrims represent a wide range of
social classes, including the nobility, clergy, merchants, and peasants, and through
their stories, Chaucer explores themes such as love, morality, corruption, greed, and
social justice.
The Canterbury Tales is notable for its use of humor, satire, and irony. Chaucer's
characters are complex and multifaceted, often presenting a critique of the social
and religious institutions of his time. The work also reflects the emerging
vernacular English of the period, written in Middle English, which helped to
establish English as a language for literary expression, contrasting with the
dominance of Latin and French in medieval literature.
The Canterbury Tales remains influential due to its exploration of human nature, its
lively and diverse cast of characters, and its innovative narrative structure. It has
been studied extensively for its linguistic and thematic depth, and continues to be a
vital part of the Western literary canon.