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. It is still in copyright, so the words are not reprinted here — the reader brings a printed copy.
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.
What it is about
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.
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. It is still in copyright, so we name it and point you at a copy rather than reprinting the words. 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.