M2:731 — شد خر نفس تو‌، بر میخی‌ش بند / چند بگریزد ز کار و بار چند‌‌؟

This couplet concludes a section that uses the metaphor of a donkey and its saddle. Rumi has just argued that one should focus on the 'donkey' (the essential substance of life, the body, the means of spiritual progress) rather than the 'saddle' (worldly attachments, status, appearances).

Here, the metaphor shifts slightly. The donkey is now explicitly identified as the nafs, the unruly lower self or carnal soul. Like a stubborn animal, the nafs constantly tries to escape discipline, effort, and responsibility ('work and its burdens'). Rumi's command is direct and practical: the nafs must be restrained, tied to a 'peg' of spiritual discipline and commitment. The exasperated repetition of 'how long?' underscores the futility and weariness of endlessly indulging the ego's attempts to evade the necessary work of both worldly and spiritual life.