M6:601 — عاشق خود را فتاده خفته دید / اندکی از آستین او درید

Translation: The Beloved saw their lover fallen and asleep; they then tore a little of their sleeve. Meaning: This verse describes the Beloved visiting their sleeping lover. By tearing the lover's sleeve, the Beloved intends to place walnuts inside, signifying that the lover's understanding of love is still childlike and immature.

Here, Rumi recounts a seemingly simple story, yet it contains a pivotal mystical point. It's the tale of a lover yearning for union with the Beloved, who, after receiving a promise from the Beloved, sat awaiting their arrival at night. However, sleep overtook him, preventing him from staying awake. The Beloved arrived to find the lover asleep.

This verse states that the Beloved saw their lover fallen and slumbering. Then, they “tore a little of his sleeve.” It is important to know that in ancient times, sleeves sometimes served as pockets, used for holding small items. As Hafez says, 'In the patched robe's sleeve, conceal your cup.' By tearing the sleeve, the Beloved creates an opening to place something within.

In the subsequent verse, Rumi explains that the Beloved “placed several walnuts in his pocket / saying, ‘You are a child; take these and play backgammon.’” The act of placing walnuts in the lover’s sleeve is a clear and poignant symbol: walnuts represent childish games. Through this action, the Beloved signals to the lover that he has not yet reached sufficient maturity for true love and union. His love is still at the stage of “walnut-playing”—infantile and unripe. He is not yet ready to face the depth and seriousness of true love.

This story serves as a prelude for Rumi to express his own state. Immediately after this anecdote, Rumi distinguishes himself from this sleeping lover, stating: “O sleepless heart, we are safe from this / For we beat our sticks on the roof like guardians.” This means, 'I am secure from such an outcome; I am not that slumbering lover.' I am like a vigilant guard, beating a stick on the roof of the heart to ward off sleep. Rumi’s assertion here is unequivocally decisive: he places himself on a higher spiritual plane than this immature lover. He never succumbs to the sleep of heedlessness in the Beloved’s presence but remains an ever-watchful guardian of the covenant.

Rumi then offers another metaphor that highlights the profound difference between himself and the sleeping lover: “Our walnuts have broken in this mill / Whatever we say of our sorrow is but little.” 'Maṭḥan' means a mill. Rumi declares that his 'walnuts,' meaning childish games and unripe attachments that signify a lack of maturity, were crushed and ground long ago in the mill of time, pain, and suffering. What he now tastes is no longer the flavor of childish games, but the taste of profound grief and longing—a sorrow so deep that anything he says about it remains insufficient. This reference to 'my sorrow' indicates the 'green sorrow' that I have often alluded to in my commentaries on the Masnavi; a grief that is not depressing, but rather awakening and growth-inducing.

Key takeaways

• A lover falling asleep while awaiting the Beloved symbolizes immaturity and unreadiness on the path of love.
• Placing walnuts in the sleeve signifies the lover's childlike state and unworthiness for true union.
• Rumi explicitly differentiates himself from this sleeping lover, emphasizing his own perpetual vigilance and faithfulness to the covenant.
• Rumi's experience of grief and longing is far deeper than childish games; his 'walnuts' have been crushed in the mill of time.
• The narrative underscores that constant wakefulness and spiritual maturity are prerequisites for attaining true union.