The Drop and the Ocean — قطره و دریا

Original Mixed-Media Persian Calligraphy Artwork 20 × 20 in. | 50.8 × 50.8 cm

A richly layered mixed-media artwork inspired by one of Rumi’s most evocative verses. Raised Persian calligraphy in luminous antique gold emerges from a deeply textured field of charcoal, black, bronze, and subtle green, surrounded by intricate ornamental motifs reminiscent of traditional Persian design.

The contrast between the aged, earthy surface and glowing gold lettering gives the work an almost archaeological quality—as though the poetry has been uncovered rather than simply painted.

At its center are Rumi’s words:

قطره تویی، بحر تویی، لطف تویی، قهر توییقند تویی، زهر تویی، بیش میازار مرا

“You are the drop, you are the ocean; you are tenderness, you are wrath. You are sweetness, you are poison—please, torment me no more.”

The verse speaks of love’s contradictions—the intimate and the infinite, sweetness and pain, tenderness and intensity. The surrounding patterns and distressed metallic layers echo that same sense of depth, history, and mystery.

Medium: Mixed media, dimensional texture & metallic finish on canvas. Size: 20 × 20 inches. Original: One-of-a-kind, signed Yass Art artwork. Certificate of Authenticity: Included