Funeral reading

Rumi, on death and reunion

Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī

“Rumi, on death and reunion” by Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī is a poem read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about 40 seconds read aloud, usually by a guest reader. We do not reprint the words here — the note below says why, and what to bring instead.

Why the words are not printed here

The Persian is centuries old; the English versions people quote are modern translators’ work and still in copyright. Pick the version the family knows and print that one.

Pieces still in copyright are listed by title and author only — we name them and tell you where to get them, but we do not reproduce the words. Public-domain text is printed in your script in full.

Where it comes from

Rumi was a thirteenth-century Persian Sufi poet who died in Konya in 1273, and his grief at the disappearance of his companion Shams of Tabriz is reflected in his Divan.

What it says

Rumi’s poems about death treat it not as an ending but as a return. In the versions families ask for, the soul is going home to the source it came from, or setting like the sun only to rise elsewhere, or passing through a door into union with what it loved. Grief is honored, but the poems keep turning it toward reunion and joy. There is no single standard text: what people call Rumi on death is a group of short poems, each known in several English versions.

Ask which translation — the popular ones are very loose. Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: reunion · the soul returning · interfaith · not a Western frame.

Who it suits

Interfaith families, Muslim families who want a reading beyond the prayers, people drawn to Sufi or mystical traditions, and secular services wanting a spiritual note. It suits someone who found meaning in Rumi during their life. Some Muslim families will prefer Qur’an recitation, so ask before offering it.

Where it goes in the ceremony

Works after the eulogy, or as a closing reading before the committal. A family member or friend reads it; if the family speak Persian, a reading in Persian followed by English is a lovely touch.

Reading it aloud

Allow about 40 seconds at a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, from the reader’s first word to their last.

Find out which version the family know before you print anything. The popular English versions are loose and often modern rewrites, so the same poem can read very differently.
These are short poems with a turn at the end. Give the turn a pause; it is usually where grief becomes hope.
Name the translator as well as Rumi when you introduce it. The English words are theirs.

Questions about reading it aloud

How long does “Rumi, on death and reunion” take to read aloud?

“Rumi, on death and reunion” takes about 40 seconds read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.

Who usually reads “Rumi, on death and reunion”?

Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “Rumi, on death and reunion” runs about 40 seconds, which is a manageable amount to hand to a friend or family member. Give them a printed copy of their own, in a size they can read without their glasses, and tell them where to stand and how you will introduce them.

Can “Rumi, on death and reunion” be printed in a ceremony script?

Not by us. The Persian is centuries old; the English versions people quote are modern translators’ work and still in copyright. Pick the version the family knows and print that one.

A reading is two minutes of the hour.

The rest is the welcome, the life, the remembrances, the committal — and knowing what comes next. Answer some questions about them and get the whole service, written out, with this reading in its place.

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