M6:2002 — یک دهان نالان شده سوی شما / های هویی در فکنده در هوا

Translation: One mouth, lamenting, turned towards you, Has cast uproar into the air. Meaning: This verse refers to the outward, expressive aspect of human existence, or Mowlana himself, who, like a reed, channels an inner divine breath into a sorrowful, resounding cry for the world to hear.

This verse emerges from the heart of the Masnavi's reed analogy, revealing one of the two faces of human existence. In the preceding verses, Mowlana spoke of "one mouth hidden in His lips" – that mouth connected to the source of the divine breath, the lips from which divine grace flows. This beyt, however, "One mouth, lamenting, turned towards you," depicts the other face: the outward, expressive aspect that faces humanity and casts a cry into the world.

This lament is not born of weakness or inability, but of profound ardor and separation; the very separation that the reed recounts at the beginning of the Masnavi. In my interpretation, the reed's "complaint" (shekāyat) in the first beyt of the Masnavi is, in reality, a "narration" (ḥekāyat) – a story of separation that is not a mere wail or grumble born of impatience, but rather the tale of the soul's journey. This "uproar" (hay-o hūy) cast into the air is, in fact, the Masnavi itself: a storm of words, a surge of insights, and an explosion of inspiration that moves Mowlana to speak and causes his breast to boil like a jewel-bearing sea.

The divine breath that is blown by the Beloved's lips into the reed of human existence is not raw and formless; rather, it acquires a specific color and fragrance as it passes through this reed. As Mowlana himself states: "The breath that the reed-player blew into the reed / Is suited to the reed, not to the player." This means that what emerges from the mouth of this human reed, though originating from God, takes on a shape and form according to the reed's "capacity" and "existential dimensions." The Masnavi is divine speech that has passed through the reed of Mowlana's being and reached us in a Mowlana-esque form: stirring and joyful, with the taste of sugar and the fragrance of fidelity.

The phrase "towards you" (suy-i shomā) in this lamenting mouth is a crucial point. This cry is not for Mowlana alone, but for the "men and women" who have "wept in its lament." This sound is the universal call of alienation, an echo from the eternal reed-bed that resonates within every human, reminding them of "the days of their reunion." This "uproar" is, in essence, the invitation of Mowlana, the reed-like sage, to listen – an invitation that does not issue from a preacher's pulpit, but from the core of mystic passion and ecstasy, filling the world with hidden messages.

Key takeaways

• Human existence has two mouths: one hidden, connected to the Divine origin; the other explicit, expressive towards creation.
• This lamenting "uproar" is the outward manifestation of divine breath, shaped by the individual's capacity.
• The reed's (and Mowlana's) sound is not mere complaint; it is a narration of separation's journey and a promise of reunion.
• The Masnavi itself embodies this "uproar," channeling divine insights through Mowlana's words to the world.
• The reed's cry is a universal call of alienation, in which every human can recognize the sound of their own longing.