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"When I Die" by Jalaloddin Mohammed Rumi

 Note: This post was written by Journe Cooper, a student at FranU, in 2022.

The loss of a loved one leaves a heart crippled with sorrow and grief. It is not an easy task to learn how to process and accept what we are feeling and sometimes we may even feel like we don’t want to live on without that person. But have we ever thought about how our loved one would feel if we couldn’t cope? Or how they would want us to continue living on in their stead? There are many therapeutic options out there to help progress the healing process including poetry. The poem “When I Die” by Jalaloddin Mohammed Rumi expresses the thoughts of those who pass on in a way that helps their loved ones accept the feelings of loss. I believe this poem would be therapeutic to those who feel sorrow for a departed loved one and struggle with accepting such great bereavement. 

One way this poem could be therapeutic is that it beautifully relates passing on to starting a new life. Rumi relays this message in the poem by saying, “remember a grave is/only a curtain/for the paradise behind.” This line illustrates how we should view moving on to the afterlife. The life we live here is only one chapter of a story. The next life is a beautiful and wonderful discovery. Those who are grieving should see their loved ones as embarking on a new and ethereal journey full of love and never-ending peace. Passing on earth is only the end of our physical being. Our spirit moves on over the horizon and into a higher, holier place of fulfillment. It spends eternity being treasured and having favor with true divinity.  

Another way this poem could be therapeutic is because it is written as if it is speaking directly to the reader and offering encouragement. In the poem Rumi says, “don’t cry for my leaving/I’m not leaving.” This line perfectly relays the sentiment that I’m sure all that pass away feel. Departed loved ones would not want anyone to suffer because they have left the physical world. Rumi extends hope to all of us who are struggling to move past our pain. He encourages us to hold on to the love and memories we shared with our loved ones instead of incessantly mourning for their departure from the present. Grief is absolutely overwhelming, but it is important to remember that we will always carry our loved ones with us in our hearts and memories and it’s those moments that last a lifetime.

  Lastly, I believe this poem gives comfort to the reader by insinuating that sorrow is only temporary. In “When I Die,” Rumi says, “it looks like the end/it seems like a sunset/but in reality it is a dawn.” Grief is our way of coping with death. It allows us to protect ourselves and process our changing reality. Although it may feel as if the persistent and agonizing pain will last forever, I can attest that it won’t. On the other side of grief is joy and fortitude. Experiencing grief allows our hearts to grow stronger. If we were to never feel sadness over the departed, then how can we truly know we loved them? We should have faith that our loved ones have moved on to a better place and allow the love we have for them to elevate us past our sorrow and into brighter days. We should allow hope to uplift us from our pain as Rumi says, “why lament for a soul/when it can come back.” 

The poem “When I Die” by Jalaloddin Mohammed Rumi communicates the thoughts and feelings of those who have departed this world and entered a new one in a way to help those who are left behind continue to be hopeful in their journey to healing. He directly expresses that leaving this existence is the beginning of the soul’s voyage into the promised land and those who remain should endure and not despair. It is important for us to move forward in life cherishing each special moment we were given. Rumi encourages us to enjoy what limited time we have, to carry the memories we’ve created and shared deep in our heats, and to walk in the love we will always have for those that leave us. Even though the body may dwell in the physical world, the soul lives on forever in Eden!

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