M6:2559 — دلقک از ده بهر کاری آمدست / رای او گشت و پشیمانش شدست

Translation: The buffoon came from the village for a certain task; His intent changed, and he became regretful. Meaning: This verse, spoken by the plotting vizier, alleges to the king that the buffoon arrived from his village with a hidden agenda, but his intention shifted, or he failed, and now he is feigning good intentions to escape his predicament.

This verse, uttered by the cunning vizier in the tale of the buffoon, ostensibly describes the buffoon's state, but in truth, Mawlana imparts a profound lesson on the nature of spiritual disputes and claims of gnosis. The vizier here accuses the buffoon of having set out from his village with a specific, likely concealed, intention. Yet, halfway through his journey, ra'y-i u gasht (his intention changed) and pashimânash shodast (he became regretful), implying either failure to achieve his aim or a loss of courage. The vizier attributes this regret and change of heart to the buffoon's weakness and dishonesty, claiming he is now resorting to âb-o roghan kardan (trickery and fabrication) to find an escape route and conceal the truth.

I have often reiterated that Mawlana is a poet who conceals deep wisdom and gnosis behind every story and parable. This tale of the buffoon and the vizier's plot, in my estimation, is an allegory for the perennial conflict between bâ-khabarân (those with true inner knowledge) and khabar-sâzân (those who fabricate outward appearances or 'news'). Those who genuinely possess news from the realm of meaning, who have found their way to the interior, typically do not make a fuss or invite themselves to banquets; as Hafez, the sweet-tongued, put it: 'Of him who knew, no news ever returned.' This 'news' is not a coin to be spent everywhere. Conversely, there are those who are devoid of such knowledge yet are constantly engaged in khabar-sâzi (manufacturing narratives and deceiving others). These are the ones who fill the market of spiritual discourse, and with their clamor, they obscure the genuine from the counterfeit, even viewing truly knowledgeable individuals with suspicion and doubt.

This is a lesson both sweet and bitter. Sweet, because it draws back the curtain on reality and opens our eyes to the clamorous market of pretenders. We come to understand how many colorful claims and deceptive appearances conceal layers of falsehood and trickery. And it is bitter, because it reveals how the world and the market of gnosis (and indeed, any market) are inundated with these fabricators and false claimants, to such an extent that authentic and genuine examples become lost amidst a deluge of imitation and forgery, themselves becoming targets of accusation and doubt. With this verse, Mawlana teaches us never to be content with mere appearances but to perpetually seek the hidden truth beyond claims, especially when individuals' intentions and purposes are at stake.

Key takeaways

• Superficiality and Deception: The verse illustrates how individuals (like the vizier) often ignore true intentions, opting instead for negative and conspiratorial interpretations.
• The Truly Knowing vs. The Fabricators: The buffoon's story serves as an allegory distinguishing those with genuine inner knowledge (bâ-khabarân) from those who merely feign it and make claims (khabar-sâzân).
• A Market of Pretenders: Mawlana uses this tale to reveal the bitter reality of how the market of spiritual wisdom is saturated with false claimants, marginalizing the authentic.
• The Importance of Inner Intention: The verse points to the buffoon's changed intention, emphasizing the significance of inner disposition and core purposes over mere external appearances.