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December 17
John Greenleaf Whittier, Rumi, and the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers
David Barnhart
December 17, 2025
Photo by Angela Barnhart, 2008.
Today is the birthday, in 1807, of John Greenleaf Whittier, Quaker poet and abolitionist.
Today marks the death, in 1273, of Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī, known more often by “Rumi,” a Sufi theologian and poet whose mysticism and spiritual influence have been felt strongly in the West.
Twenty years ago, activists declared December 17 an “International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers.”
Reflection:
John Greenleaf Whittier wrote:
The harp at Nature's advent strung
Has never ceased to play;
The song the stars of morning sung
Has never died away.
This poem is called “Gifts of the Beloved,” by Rumi:
Where will you find one more liberal than God?
He buys the worthless rubbish which is your wealth,
He pays you the Light that illuminates your heart.
He accepts these frozen and lifeless bodies of yours,
And gives you a Kingdom beyond what you dream of,
He takes a few drops of your tears,
And gives you the Divine Fount sweeter than sugar.
He takes your sighs fraught with grief and sadness,
And for each sigh gives rank in heaven as interest.
In return for the sigh-wind that raised tear-clouds,
God gave Abraham the title of “Father of the Faithful.”
Prayer: God, make us ever mindful of your abundance. Amen.