After a false start or two, it's possible that the names of Beyonce and JAY-Z's twins are finally out in the world. According to TMZ, the company that handles the trademarks related to the couple reportedly filed paperwork to trademark the names Sir Carter and Rumi Carter. The other famous Rumi that comes to mind is the Persian poet, whose work you may have seen quoted before. But has Beyoncé referenced Rumi in her songs before? She's been known to utilize spoken word in her music.
Of course, the couple's team haven't confirmed that Sir and Rumi are the chosen monikers yet. But if they are, the latter would fit with Beyoncé's spiritual and lyrical personality. Rumi was a hugely influential poet, active in the Islamic Golden Age. And his words are still referenced often — including on Instagram, not infrequently. Quotes like, “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it," sound like they could easily have inspired one of Lemonade's verses.
But despite searching, I can't find any references to Rumi or his timeless poetry in any of Beyoncé's previous lyrics. That doesn't mean she's not a fan, of course, but finding nods to Rumi's work in Queen Bey's songs would be compelling evidence that these names are, in fact, the real deal.
Beyoncé did incorporate poetry into her groundbreaking visual album, however. She used the words of 28-year-old Warsan Shire, the first Young Poet Laureate Of London. "I don’t know when love became elusive. What I know is: no one I know has it" is one of Shire's contributions to the piece.
Of his various contributions to the world and culture, one feather that Rumi does not yet seem to have in his cap is being quoted by Beyoncé in a song. But it's possible that he may share a name with one of the star's long-anticipated twins.
