Yunus Emre

Life, Perspective, and Poems

Seeing Yunus, Rumi said: “O my dear!” He made quick steps towards that dervish who flamed the fire of longing in his heart. At that moment, Yunus also proceeded towards Rumi with an irresistible attraction and they met in the middle. They embraced and lost themselves. Rumi didn’t let Yunus get out of his sight throughout his stay in Konya. Rumi tried to fulfill his longing to Shams with Yunus. Yunus was the Turkmen dervish for whom Rumi said, “In every divine destination that I ascended, I saw the footprints of a great Turkmen man before me.” Rumi called Husameddin Celebi and asked him to read Mathnawi to Yunus. Husameddin Celebi read each and every page of Mathnawi. And Yunus listened to him. Then, with eyes looking from another realm and with a voice from an unclear direction, he said, “I disguised myself in flesh and bones, presented myself as Yunus.” Hearing that, Rumi smiled and quiet Husameddin Celebi down. “We explained it with too many words, my Husameddin. See, Yunus briefed it with one sentence,” he said.