M6:1981 — طب جملهٔ عقل‌ها منقوش اوست / روی جمله دلبر‌ان روپوش اوست

Translation: The medicine of all intellects is engraved by Love; The beauty of all beloveds is but Love's own veil. Meaning: Love is the origin and master physician of all intellects and their remedies; and the outward beauty of all beloveds serves merely as a mask covering the face of the ultimate, true Beloved.

In this verse from the Sixth Book of the Masnavi, I discern the particular fervor and ecstasy of Mowlana in his later years, as he approaches the transition from this “earthly island” to the “pure sea.” This beyt appears within a ghazal-like section where Mowlana delves into the solitude and unique madness of lovers, revealing, in my interpretation, his own sūda'ī (melancholic obsession) and shaidā'ī (passion).

The first hemistich, “The medicine of all intellects is engraved by Love,” offers a profound assertion of Love’s superiority over intellect and all that arises from it. “Manqūsh-i ūst” (engraved by it) should be understood as “its originator,” “that which is produced by it,” or “its creation.” In essence, Love is the wellspring and architect of all “medicine” and remedies for “intellects.” Indeed, it is Love that gives life and direction to intellects, and their “healing” ultimately originates from it. This madness of the lover that Mowlana speaks of differs from the common and widespread illnesses addressed by conventional medicine. Those physical or psychological ailments have remedies, and the sick person seeks to escape them. However, “amorous madness” is not only an ordinary illness, but if “a physician were to experience such a madness,” they would “wash their medical books with blood” and abandon all practice of medicine. Why? Because this is the only malady from which the patient not only does not flee but is enamored, desiring no liberation from it. Love itself is the physician, the teacher, and stands above all intellect and intellectual remedies.

The second hemistich, “The beauty of all beloveds is but Love’s own veil,” unveils a significant truth in amorous mysticism. Rūpūsh (veil) here means “mask” or “curtain.” Mowlana explicitly states that the apparent beauties of the beloveds in this world are merely a mask on the face of the “True Beloved.” Initially, a person may become captivated by this mask, but this outward beauty is merely a “noose” that draws one towards the “inner sanctum” and to the gnosis of “real Love.” These metaphorical beloveds are, in fact, veils and signs through which the unveiled beauty of the eternal Beloved manifests. You fall in love with the mask, unaware that behind it sits something else, the True Beloved. This is a path into the realm of love, not its ultimate destination.

It is for this reason that Mowlana, in this very context, states that the lover, in their “obsession,” has no “companion” or “confidant.” No one comprehends this madness; “intellect is blind and deaf to its passion.” The lover must converse with their “self,” for “O enraptured one, you have no kin but your own self.” This solitude and seclusion in love does not merely signify loneliness but an engagement with a truth for which there is no equal in this world.

Key takeaways

• Love is the ultimate source and creator of all “medicine” and remedies for “intellects,” standing above all rational logic and wisdom.
• Amorous madness is a unique affliction that compels a physician to abandon their medical books; for the lover not only does not seek relief from this pain, but is passionately enamored of it.
• The outward beauties of worldly beloveds are merely masks or veils that cover the face of the True Beloved.
• The charm of beloveds acts as a noose, guiding the seeker from the manifest world to the “inner sanctum” and the gnosis of “real Love.”
• In the throes of love’s “obsession,” the lover experiences profound solitude; for “intellect is blind and deaf to its passion,” and they have no confidant but their own self.