M1:1806 — چون بهانه دادی این شیدات را / ای بها نه شکّر لبهات را

Translation: Since you gave this frenzied lover of yours a pretext (for his madness), / O, my dearest value! Nay, rather it is from the sugar of your lips (that this frenzy comes). Meaning: The lover addresses the Beloved, acknowledging that the Beloved's form (lips) provides the 'pretext' or outward occasion for the lover's inner frenzy, yet then corrects himself, affirming the inherent sweetness of the Beloved's presence as the true source.

This verse is a crucial part of a sequence where Mawlana profoundly elucidates the relationship between the lover and the Beloved, and, by extension, between the knowing subject and the known object. From Mawlana's perspective, not only did 'the wine become drunk from us, not we from it,' but also 'form came into being from us, not we from it.' This echoes the Copernican revolution in philosophy, later championed by Kant in the West, positing that we, in fact, impose form upon the world, rather than merely discovering the world's inherent forms. The world, in this view, is like formless matter, to which our perceptions, desires, and presuppositions give shape and meaning. Were we to change, the world would present a different countenance to us.

In this particular verse, the lover addresses the Beloved, stating that the Beloved has provided a 'pretext' for the lover's frenzy (shāydā), and attributes this madness to the Beloved's sweet lips. However, this is merely the surface layer of understanding. Mawlana immediately deepens this meaning with verses such as, 'The sweetness of milk and honey is the reflection of the heart / Every delight in them is granted by the heart.' This means that milk is not inherently gentle, nor is honey inherently sweet; rather, it is our heart that bestows upon them the qualities of gentleness and sweetness. We grant them their delight, not the other way around.

Therefore, the entire cosmos, and everything within it that appears beautiful and pleasing to our eyes, is in reality the 'reflection of our heart,' an echo of our inner state. The Beloved, as the embodiment of all beauty and sweetness, is the manifestation of this very 'form-giving' process. The Beloved's sweet lips and the pretext they offer for our frenzy are, more than being intrinsic to the lips themselves, located within our passionate heart which grants them this form and meaning. We are the 'wāhib al-ṣuwar,' the givers of forms to the world. This world is the 'shadow of our heart,' and those who pursue worldly attachments are, in fact, chasing their own shadow, having confused the essence with the derivative. This delusion is akin to 'hunting a shadow,' which leads to 'wasted effort, futile striving, and sore feet.' Even the lofty heavens, as Mawlana asserts, 'are reflections of human perceptions,' meaning they are projections of the cognizing faculties within us. This fundamental approach underpins Mawlana's entire worldview concerning the world and God.

Key takeaways

• The world receives its form from us; we are the 'givers of forms' (wāhib al-ṣuwar).
• All joy and beauty in the world are reflections, 'shadows of the heart,' not inherent qualities of objects.
• Mawlana's epistemology aligns with Kant's 'Copernican revolution' in philosophy.
• Pursuing worldly attachments and external pleasures is akin to chasing one's own shadow.
• If our inner state changes, the world will present a different face to us.