batch.motif.sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg-l208-l312
---
record_id: batch.motif.sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg-l208-l312
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
passage_locator:
label: JAMES W. REDHOUSE, M.R.A.S., ETC. / CONTENTS. / INTRODUCTION.--PLAINT OF
THE REED-FLUTE 1 / CONCLUSION 289;
lines 208-312
start: '208'
end: '312'
translation: The Mesnevi
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The passage is a translator’s preface summarizing biographical and historical
traditions about Jelālu-’d-Dīn Rūmī, his family lineage, migrations, teachers,
associations with the Mevlevī order, and several events involving relatives, patrons,
saints, and disciples.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Eflākī is identified as a disciple of Chelebī Emīr ‘Ārif and as a dervish
of the Mevlevī order.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The Mevlevī order is described as following the rule and practices of Mevlānā
Jelālu-’d-Dīn er-Rūmī, and as commonly known in English and American usage as
dancing or whirling dervishes.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Jelāl’s grandfather is described as a noble of high standing, learning, and
sanctity at Balkh, and as having married the king’s only daughter.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The Kh’ārezm-shāh royal house is described as overthrown and Balkh as destroyed
by Jengīz Khān in A.D. 1211.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Jelāl’s family claimed descent from Abū-Bekr, the first successor of Muhammed
and a father-in-law of Muhammed.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Jelāl left Balkh as a child with his father and brothers, while his married
elder sister remained behind.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The family’s route is given as Balkh to Bagdād, Mekka, Damascus, Erzinjān,
and Larenda.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: Jelāl married Gevher at Larenda, and she bore him two sons, ‘Alā’u-’d-Dīn
and Bahā’u-’d-Dīn Sultān Veled.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: Jelāl’s father was invited to Qonya by the Seljūqi king ‘Alā’u-’d-Dīn Kayqubād,
founded a college there, died there, and received a marble mausoleum over his
grave.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: After his father’s death, Jelāl studied at Aleppo and Damascus, returned to
Qonya, and was appointed professor of four colleges.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: Burhānu-’d-Dīn came to Qonya to seek Jelāl and became Jelāl’s spiritual teacher
for a period of time.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: Shemsu-’d-Dīn of Tebrīz visited Jelāl at Qonya, became the object of Jelāl’s
great friendship, provoked animosity, and disappeared after a tumult in which
Jelāl’s eldest son was killed or mortally hurt.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:13
text: Jelāl later selected Sheykh Salāhu-’d-Dīn Ferīdūn Zer-Kūb as an assistant
in conducting his duties.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: El Eflākī
description: Historian, disciple of Chelebī Emīr ‘Ārif, and Mevlevī dervish.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Chelebī Emīr ‘Ārif
description: Grandson of the author of the Mesnevī and teacher/master to Eflākī.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Mevlānā Jelālu-’d-Dīn er-Rūmī / Jelāl
description: Author of the Mesnevī; subject of the biographical account; associated
with learning, sanctity, teaching, study, and the Mevlevī order.
role_refs:
- role:3
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- ev:10
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Jelāl’s grandfather
description: A noble at Balkh, noted for learning and sanctity, who married the
king’s only daughter.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: King of the Kh’ārezm-shāh royal house
description: Unnamed king who gave his only daughter in marriage to Jelāl’s grandfather.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Jengīz Khān
description: Conqueror associated with the overthrow of the Kh’ārezm-shāh royal
house and the destruction of Balkh.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Abū-Bekr
description: Father-in-law and first successor of Muhammed, from whom Jelāl’s family
claimed descent.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Muhammed
description: Lawgiver of Islām; Abū-Bekr is described as his father-in-law and first
successor.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Gevher
description: Jelāl’s wife at Larenda and mother of two sons named in the passage.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: "‘Alā’u-’d-Dīn, son of Jelāl"
description: Jelāl’s son by Gevher, later killed or mortally hurt in a tumult at
Qonya.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:12
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Bahā’u-’d-Dīn Sultān Veled
description: Jelāl’s son by Gevher, through whom the succession of the house was
continued.
role_refs:
- role:13
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: "‘Alā’u-’d-Dīn Kayqubād"
description: Seljūqi king who invited Jelāl’s father to Qonya and built a marble
mausoleum over his grave.
role_refs:
- role:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Sheykh and Seyyid Burhānu-’d-Dīn
description: Former pupil of Jelāl’s father, described as a saint and anchoret,
who became Jelāl’s spiritual teacher.
role_refs:
- role:15
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: Shemsu-’d-Dīn of Tebrīz
description: A great saint who visited Jelāl at Qonya, became Jelāl’s close friend,
and disappeared after a tumult.
role_refs:
- role:16
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: fig:15
name_or_label: Sheykh Salāhu-’d-Dīn Ferīdūn Zer-Kūb
description: Former fellow-student of Jelāl, surnamed the Goldbeater, selected by
Jelāl as an assistant.
role_refs:
- role:17
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
roles:
- id: role:1
label: historian-disciple
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage identifies Eflākī as both a historian and a disciple of Emīr
‘Ārif.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: lineage descendant and teacher figure
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Emīr ‘Ārif is described as the author’s grandson and as the figure whose
disciple Eflākī was.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: author and order exemplar
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The Mevlevī order is said to follow the rule and practices of Mevlānā Jelālu-’d-Dīn,
author of the Mesnevī.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: student-scholar
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Jelāl is described as studying at Aleppo and Damascus and then being appointed
professor.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:5
label: migrating child and family member
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The passage says Jelāl was five years old when he and his family left Balkh.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:6
label: noble saintly ancestor
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The grandfather is described as a noble with learning and sanctity at Balkh.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:7
label: royal marriage patron
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The king gave his only daughter in marriage to Jelāl’s grandfather.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:8
label: conqueror-destroyer
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Jengīz Khān is associated with overthrowing the royal house and destroying
Balkh.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:9
label: claimed ancestor and successor
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Jelāl’s family claimed descent from Abū-Bekr, who is called the first successor
of Muhammed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:10
label: religious lawgiver
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Muhammed is called the lawgiver of Islām in the passage.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:11
label: wife and mother
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Gevher is described as Jelāl’s wife and as bearing him two sons.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:12
label: son and casualty of tumult
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: "‘Alā’u-’d-Dīn is named as Jelāl’s son and later as killed or mortally hurt
in a disturbance."
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:12
- id: role:13
label: successor-line son
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: Sultān Veled is named as the son through whom the succession of the house
continued.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:14
label: royal patron and tomb builder
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: The king invited Jelāl’s father to Qonya and built a marble mausoleum over
his grave.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:15
label: spiritual teacher
assigned_to:
- fig:13
basis: Burhānu-’d-Dīn is described as becoming Jelāl’s spiritual teacher.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:16
label: beloved saintly friend and disappeared figure
assigned_to:
- fig:14
basis: Shemsu-’d-Dīn is described as a great saint, the object of Jelāl’s friendship,
and as never again seen alive by friends after the police seized him.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: role:17
label: assistant and fellow-student
assigned_to:
- fig:15
basis: Salāhu-’d-Dīn is described as Jelāl’s former fellow-student and selected
assistant.
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: dancing or whirling dervish practice
literal_form: The Mevlevī order is commonly known as dancing or whirling dervishes,
though not all members dance or whirl.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: marble mausoleum over the grave
literal_form: A marble mausoleum built over Jelāl’s father’s grave at Qonya, with
a date inscribed on it.
associated_figures:
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:3
label: migration route through sacred and scholarly cities
literal_form: The route from Balkh through Bagdād, Mekka, Damascus, Erzinjān, and
Larenda.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Mevlevī order described
summary: The passage identifies Eflākī as a Mevlevī dervish and describes the order
as followers of Rūmī’s rule and practices, popularly associated with dancing or
whirling.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Ancestry and royal connections at Balkh
summary: Jelāl’s grandfather is described as a noble of learning and sanctity who
married a princess, while Jelāl’s mother is also said to be a princess of the
same royal house.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Overthrow and destruction of Balkh
summary: The Kh’ārezm-shāh royal house is said to be overthrown and Balkh destroyed
by Jengīz Khān.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Family departure and itinerary
summary: Jelāl leaves Balkh as a child with his father and brothers; the family
passes through Bagdād, Mekka, Damascus, Erzinjān, and Larenda.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Marriage and continuation of the house
summary: At Larenda, Jelāl marries Gevher, who bears two sons, including Sultān
Veled, through whom the house’s succession continues.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: scene:6
label: Patronage at Qonya and memorial tomb
summary: The Seljūqi king invites Jelāl’s father to Qonya, where the father founds
a college, dies, and receives a marble mausoleum over his grave.
figure_refs:
- fig:12
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: scene:7
label: Study, teaching, and spiritual instruction
summary: After his father’s death, Jelāl studies at Aleppo and Damascus, returns
to Qonya as professor, and receives spiritual instruction from Burhānu-’d-Dīn.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:13
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: scene:8
label: Friendship with Shemsu-’d-Dīn and ensuing tumult
summary: Shemsu-’d-Dīn visits Jelāl, becomes his close friend, arouses hostility,
and disappears after a tumult in which Jelāl’s eldest son is killed or mortally
hurt.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:10
- fig:14
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: scene:9
label: Selection of an assistant
summary: Jelāl selects Salāhu-’d-Dīn Ferīdūn Zer-Kūb to assist him in carrying out
his duties.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:15
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Departure from native city after upheaval
taxonomy_refs:
- departure
basis: Jelāl leaves Balkh as a child, and the surrounding account describes political
overthrow and destruction of Balkh.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is biographical and historical in tone; the motif label should
not imply a mythic quest unless supported by broader context.
- id: motif:2
label: Wisdom through study and spiritual instruction
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
- mystical_quest
basis: Jelāl studies in Aleppo and Damascus, returns as professor, and is instructed
by a spiritual teacher.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage reports education and spiritual training rather than narrating
a symbolic initiation sequence.
- id: motif:3
label: Legitimation through sacred and royal lineage
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: The passage links Jelāl’s family to royal marriage, princess descent, and
claimed descent from Abū-Bekr.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage states lineage claims and royal relations but does not explicitly
frame them as a mythic sovereignty motif.
- id: motif:4
label: Memorialization of a revered dead teacher
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Seljūqi king builds a dated marble mausoleum over the grave of Jelāl’s
father after inviting him to Qonya and his founding of a college there.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: low
cautions: No supplied taxonomy reference directly matches this memorial-tomb pattern.
- id: motif:5
label: Loss of a beloved spiritual companion amid communal conflict
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Shemsu-’d-Dīn becomes the object of Jelāl’s great friendship, arouses fierce
animosity, is seized after a tumult, and is never again seen alive by his friends.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
confidence: low
cautions: The passage does not identify this as a symbolic beloved-loss motif; it
is recorded as a biographical event.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 210-219
quote_or_summary: Eflākī is described as a disciple of Chelebī Emīr ‘Ārif and as
a dervish of the Mevlevī order.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 216-223
quote_or_summary: The Mevlevī order follows the rule and practices of Mevlānā Jelālu-’d-Dīn;
in English and American usage they are called dancing or whirling dervishes, though
not all dance or whirl.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 229-236
quote_or_summary: Jelāl’s grandfather is described as a noble at Balkh with high
standing, learning, and sanctity; the king gave him his only daughter in marriage,
and Jelāl’s mother was also a princess of that royal house.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 238-245
quote_or_summary: The Kh’ārezm-shāh royal house was overthrown, and Balkh was destroyed
by Jengīz Khān in A.D. 1211.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 247-254
quote_or_summary: Jelāl’s family claimed descent from Abū-Bekr, father-in-law and
first successor of Muhammed, the lawgiver of Islām.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 256-261
quote_or_summary: Jelāl was the youngest of three children; his married elder sister
remained behind when his father and brothers left Balkh, and Jelāl was five years
old at the departure.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 261-264
quote_or_summary: The family traveled by way of Bagdād, Mekka, Damascus, Erzinjān,
and Larenda.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 264-272
quote_or_summary: At Larenda, Jelāl married Gevher, who bore him two sons, ‘Alā’u-’d-Dīn
and Bahā’u-’d-Dīn Sultān Veled; the succession continued through Sultān Veled.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 276-281
quote_or_summary: After Sultān Veled’s birth, Jelāl’s father was invited to Qonya
by ‘Alā’u-’d-Dīn Kayqubād, founded a college there, died in A.D. 1231, and received
a dated marble mausoleum over his grave.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 283-286
quote_or_summary: After his father’s death, Jelāl went to Aleppo and Damascus to
study, returned to Qonya, and became professor of four colleges; his reputation
for learning and sanctity grew.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 288-298
quote_or_summary: Burhānu-’d-Dīn, a former pupil of Jelāl’s father and described
as a saint and anchoret, came to Qonya seeking Jelāl and became his spiritual
teacher for some time.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 300-311
quote_or_summary: Shemsu-’d-Dīn of Tebrīz came to Qonya, became the object of Jelāl’s
great friendship, provoked animosity, and disappeared after being seized following
a tumult in which Jelāl’s eldest son was killed or mortally hurt.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: line 312 and following sentence in supplied passage
quote_or_summary: Jelāl selected his former fellow-student Sheykh Salāhu-’d-Dīn
Ferīdūn, surnamed Zer-Kūb the Goldbeater, to assist him in conducting his duties.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short summary used.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: The passage is a translator’s biographical preface rather than a narrative
mythic episode. Literal extraction is relatively secure, while motif candidates
are cautious and require human review.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
No comparison claims were added because the passage itself does not support a comparative claim beyond identifying popular English/American labels for the Mevlevī order.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg__l208-l312
passage_sha256=c236fc1ba6d6395a810e8e37c507a24866d8f4f2aa6e9c1f7a5c703ee475ebb8