<DIV><B>The spiritual masterpiece of the Persian Sufi tradition-in a brilliant new translation</B><br><BR> The longest single -authored "mystical" poem ever written, the <I>Masnavi-ye Ma'navi</I>, or "spiritual couplets," is the masterpiece of the Persian Sufi tradition. Its author, Jalaloddin Rumi, was a poet and mystic of the highest attainment, but he was first and foremost a spiritual teacher, and his <I>Masnavi</I> is a ladder to the spiritual world, leading the reader to the ultimate goal of the Sufi path-union with God. Alan Williams's translation into blank verse beautifully conveys the poetry of the original Persian couplets, while his introduction discusses how the modern reader might approach Rumi's writing.<BR><BR></DIV>