M6:304 — مقنعه و حلهٔ عروسان نکو / کنگ امرد را بپوشانید او

Translation: The beautiful veil (maqnaʿeh) and opulent gown (ḥelleh) of brides Covered that coarse, beardless youth (keng amard). Meaning: This verse describes a deceptive trick where the alluring attire of a bride was placed upon a crude, beardless young man, completely concealing his true identity.

This verse emerges from one of the Masnavi's stark yet profoundly didactic narratives, where Rumi deploys a biting allegory to expose the world's deceptive nature. Here, we encounter a cunning stratagem: "the beautiful and opulent veil (maqnaʿeh) and gown (ḥelleh) of brides" – garments intrinsically alluring and captivating – are placed upon a "coarse, beardless youth" (keng amard). This amard is a young man without facial hair, capable of superficially resembling a young girl. However, the term keng emphasizes his crude, hefty, and masculine build, revealing a fundamentally un-feminine essence.

Rumi, through this potent metaphor, unveils the world's seductive and deceptive character. He posits that the world is akin to an "old hag" (gandeh-pir) that has adorned itself as a "new bride" (nou-aroos), embellishing its face with cosmetics (golgooneh) to beguile humanity. Just as this amard, clad in bridal attire, outwardly appears as a "hen" (maakiyān) yet is fundamentally a "rooster" (khoroos), the world's superficial beauty merely cloaks an unpleasant and coarse reality.

In Rumi's era, and indeed for many centuries, men often would not see their wife's face until the wedding night, creating fertile ground for such deceptions. This verse is not merely an anecdote; it serves as an allegory for ghoroor – a term Rumi uses to mean being deceived or tricked, rather than pride or arrogance. Rumi warns that the world's bounties and captivating displays are alluring from a distance, but upon closer inspection, that mirage dissolves into nothingness, and that promise reveals itself as a crude, loveless truth. We must remain vigilant and not fall prey to appearances, for beneath that beautiful veil and gown, a keng amard may well be hidden.

Key takeaways

• The world's deceptive allure is like beautiful attire cloaking an unsightly form.
• It is crucial to understand Rumi's specific use of terms; for example, ghoroor for him signifies being deceived, not pride.
• Many worldly pleasures appear sweet from afar but reveal themselves as unpleasant and deceitful upon closer inspection, much like a mirage.
• Patience and discernment are the keys to clarity (faraj), protecting us from being deceived by superficial appearances.