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Rumi, as many readers will know, was a 13th-century Persian mystic who founded the order of the Whirling Dervishes, and for whom, Peter Washington reminds us in the forward to a Pocket Poets edition of his work, "poetry, philosophy and theology are united in the theosophy—divine wisdom—of Sufism." He cites the work of Reynold A. Nicholson in describing the following propositions, to be found in all Rumi's writings: "that all being is in essence One; that this essence is manifested continuously, not in a single act of creation; that God is absolute, immanent and transcendent; that His essence is unknowable except obliquely through the names and attributes of the phenomenal world; that the purpose of creation is for God to know Himself; and that the Sufi or Perfect man—as exemplified in Mohammed and the line of prophets to which he belongs—comes nearest to the realization of divine self-knowledge in human life." The poem chosen for today was translated by the architect Nader Khalili. Only You only you i choose among the entire world is it fair of you letting me be unhappy my heart is a pen in your hand it is all up to you to write me happy or sad i see only what you reveal and live as you say all my feelings have the color you desire to paint from the beginning to the end no one but you please make my future better than the past when you hide i change to a Godless person and when you appear i find my faith don't expect to find any more in me than what you give don't search for hidden pockets because i've shown you that all i have is all you gave. KEEP CLICKING: About RUMI POEMS About Everyman's Library Pocket Poets PLUS: ENTER TO WIN a copy of THE KNOPF NATIONAL POETRY MONTH COLLECTION Purchase a signed edition of Kevin Young's FOR THE CONFEDERATE DEAD Purchase a signed edition of W. S. Di Piero's CHINESE APPLES Miss one of our daily poems? You can view them online in the Knopf Poem-a-Day archive.     Excerpt from RUMI POEMS. Copyright © 2006 by Everyman's Library. Excerpted by permission of Everyman's Library, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. We welcome your feedback. Please send any thoughts or questions to knopfpoetry@randomhouse.com You received this issue because your email address is in Knopf's Poem-a-Day mailing list. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to unsub_knopfpoetry@info.randomhouse.com. Or if you received this poem as a forward and wish to subscribe, send a blank email to sub_knopfpoetry@info.randomhouse.com.