Rumi at the age of thirty-seven meets Shams Tabrizi (the sun of Tabriz) "a weird figure wrapped in coarse black felt, who flits across the stage for a moment and disappears tragically enough." Shams has variously been described as: being extremely ugly; a most disgusting cynic; and exceedingly aggressive with a domineering manner. Jalaluddin, who until then had no interest or liking for poetry... (read more)