M6:2740 — یک سر رشته گره بر پای من / زان سر دیگر تو پا بر عقده زن

Translation: Tie one end of this string to my foot, this humble servant's; / And You, attach the other end to Your knot. Meaning: In the mouse-and-frog allegory, this verse symbolizes the intimate bond between the soul and the body, representing the body as a tether that keeps the soul connected to the earthly realm, despite its longing for the spiritual ocean.

This profound verse emerges from Rumi’s allegory of the mouse and the frog, a subtle and vital illustration of the intricate relationship between the soul and the body. The mouse, an earthy creature, and the frog, a denizen of water, agree to bridge their disparate worlds by means of a long string. Our beyt explicates this very agreement: one end of the string is tied to the mouse (the body), and the other to the frog (the soul).

As I see it, this metaphor is profoundly illuminating. Rumi here brilliantly delineates the body's nature vis-à-vis the soul. The body is like a tether, a 'rope to the soul's foot' that 'drags it to the earth from the heavens.' The soul, as Rumi often stresses, 'is meant for flight' and does not truly belong to this world. Yet, this string, this 'weight,' binds it to the dust, hindering its ascent. The soul yearns to 'revel in the ocean of the Divine,' but the 'mouse-body' constantly 'pulls it back,' making it taste the bitterness of this tug.

This continuous pull is the 'separation' (jodāyī) that Rumi narrates, rather than complains about. It is the severance from the neyestān (reed-bed), the soul's true homeland. This longing for home stems from a deep faith, echoing the Prophet's saying, 'Love of one's homeland is part of faith.' Mystics like Sheikh Bahai interpret this 'homeland' not as a geographical place, but as 'a city that has no name,' the primordial dwelling of the soul. Thus, the body, symbolized by this string, acts as the primary cause of the soul's alienation in this world.

However, the crucial nuance lies in the second hemistich, 'You, attach the other end to Your knot.' Here, 'You' can refer to the soul itself, which has consented to this bond, accepting it as part of its destiny. As Rumi frequently illustrates, sorrows and blows received from the Beloved's hand turn 'sweet like sugar.' This connection, though it entails the soul's gravity and descent, is not an entirely passive experience for the soul. The soul consciously participates in this 'secret' (rāz) of existence. Rumi emphatically rejects existentialist angst or loneliness; his 'separation' is from a Beloved who is ever-present and observing. Even this bodily tether, in its very existence, is a testament to that presence. The ultimate aim is to understand the nature of this rope, to strive for liberation from its confines, and to achieve the lightness necessary for return to one's origin.

Key takeaways

• The body acts as a rope, tethering the soul to the earthly realm and hindering its innate desire for flight.
• The soul is inherently light-hearted and yearns to ascend; any heaviness or lassitude originates from the physical body.
• The connection between soul and body allegorizes the soul's separation from its spiritual homeland (the neyestān), a central theme of the Masnavi's opening.
• Despite being a source of alienation, this connection is part of the soul's destiny, in which it consciously participates.
• Rumi narrates this separation rather than complaining about it, viewing it as a journey back to one's origin.
• For mystics, 'love of homeland' signifies allegiance to spiritual roots and the soul's primordial dwelling, not merely a physical birthplace.