Read› Daftar 4› The complete story of that lover who fled from the watchmen into an unknown garden, where he found his beloved, and in his joy, he prayed for the watchmen, saying, 'Perhaps you dislike a thing and it is good for you'› beyt 45
M4:45 — نه به لابه چاره بودش نه به مال / چشم پر و بیطمع بود آن نهال
M4:45
Meaning · به زبانِ تو — Your language · AI
The beloved was completely unattainable through the lover's efforts because they were self-sufficient and had no need for his flattery or his money.
This couplet describes the beloved's prior inaccessibility, explaining why the lover's eight years of pining were fruitless. Rumi uses two standard methods of courtship—lāba (supplication, flattery) and māl (wealth)—to show that the lover had tried every conventional means to win favor. Both failed.
The reason for the failure lies entirely with the beloved. Described as a nahāl (a sapling), they are young, fresh, and full of life's own vitality. More importantly, they are chashm pur (literally, "full-eyed") and bī-ṭamaʿ (without greed or desire). This means they are utterly self-contained and content, lacking nothing that the lover could possibly offer. They are not impressed by wealth or swayed by pleas because they have no inner void to be filled. This quality makes the beloved an image of the Divine, which cannot be manipulated or bribed by human efforts.
In the context of the story, this prior unattainability makes the eventual, accidental reunion all the more miraculous. It wasn't the lover's striving that succeeded, but a seemingly negative event—being chased by the night watch—that divine providence (qaz̤ā) used to grant him the treasure he could never earn on his own.
- لابه
- Pleading, supplication, entreaty, flattery. A common tactic in the lover's arsenal in classical Persian poetry.
- چشم پر
- Literally "full-eyed." An idiom for someone who is content, satisfied, and not covetous of what others have. They are self-sufficient and therefore incorruptible.
- بیطمع
- Without greed, desire, or avarice. It describes a state of being free from wanting anything from another person, whether material or emotional.
- نهال
- A sapling; a young tree. A common poetic image for a young, slender, and graceful beloved, emphasizing their freshness and vitality.
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