A Research into Avicenna's Ainiyeh (an ode with the terminal rhyme ending in - ain, the 21st letter of the Persian Alphabet) and Maulana's Letter of Reed*

Sheikh Avicenna’s “Ainiyeh’s Ode” and Moulana Jalal Al-Din Rumi’s “Letter of Reed” both express the descent of man’s spirit from heaven to darkness. However, Avicenna’s treatment of the subject is rather reasonable, serious and philosophical, whereas Moulana’s is grievous and amorous. Avicenna is cheered by man’s spirit, for he considers it as a lofty matter. Due to this happiness and academic pride, he portrays the subject in the form of a mystery. He then asks the addressee to apprehend his presupposition. Moulana is devastated by the parting of the spirit and seeks to express this unification with ardor to comfort his heart. In this respect, Avicenna casts an educational look on man’s spirit, because he does not consider the matter important yet natural. Although he tries to discuss the descent as a mystery, his diction is not metaphorical or symbolic. Moulana has rather an emotional perspective of the descent and considers the matter great and the terms he employs are quite figurative and ironical.