So begins the irresistible invitation of this exquisite volume--a call from one of the world’s most beloved poets to join him in exploring love, both human and divine, with all its ecstasy, suffering, and beauty. Rumi--the Persian mystic who lived and wrote in 13th-century Turkey--has become America’s most widely read poet, and these verses draw on two of the richest symbols in his Sufi tradition: the rose and the rose garden. The rose evokes both a high spiritual state and a visionary ecstasy, while the garden embraces all the world’s glories. Renowned scholar Andrew Harvey and award-winning photographer Lekha Singh have cultivated a fine balance of word and image to bring Rumi’s lines to life, pairing sumptuous color images with original translations of his transcendent writings.