M6:559 — بعد از آن نوحه‌گری آغاز کرد / که فخ و صیاد لرزان شد ز درد

Translation: Thereafter, it began to lament, / So that both the trap (fakh) and the hunter trembled from the pain. Meaning:* This verse describes the intense lament of a captured creature (a bird in a trap), whose profound sorrow is so powerful that it moves even the trap itself and the hunter to tremble with pain.

Here, I see the beginning of a profound and heart-rending lamentation, one that Rumi pours forth from within the cage of the body and the material world. This verse is not merely an account of a bird's suffering in a trap, but a portrait of Rumi's own state: a heart, as he himself describes it, "full of contradictions" and turmoil, a heart that "finds its home ruined" and has surrendered its entire being to the Beloved.

At first glance, this "lamentation" (noḥagari) might seem to contradict the "narration" (ḥekāyat) of the Masnavi's opening verse (M1:1: Listen to this reed as it complains / As it narrates separations). But there, Rumi emphasized that the reed is not merely complaining but narrating separation. Here, the lamentation is not a mere complaint; it is the expression of a deep anguish and passion that rises from the core of being. This lament is not merely a personal pain; it is so powerful that it transcends its own bounds, making even the fakh (trap) and the hunter tremble.

This phenomenon — the impact of pain upon the agent of suffering — indicates that this agony possesses a nature beyond mere individuality. This pain is a reflection of "separation" (jodāʾi), a foundational concept in the Masnavi: separation from the origin and source of existence. The bird in the trap is a metaphor for the human soul, caught in this earthly realm and estranged from its root. This lament is a cry the soul utters from the depths of its alienation. This wail is so genuine and primordial that it affects even the instruments and agents of its capture. It is as if existence itself confesses to this pain.

Here, the question is no longer "why" there is pain, but the "being" of pain. The existential pain of humanity, the pain of separation, is so authentic that it summons even inanimate objects and adversaries. Rumi's expression here profoundly demonstrates that true mystical pain awakens not only the ready listener but everything in its vicinity. It is a reminder, another "wail" (nafīr), that extends beyond the reed-bed, making everyone a participant in its resonance.

Key takeaways

• This lament reflects the Masnavi's foundational "separation" (jodāʾi) and the human soul's alienation in the world.
• The bird's suffering is a metaphor for Rumi's own distressed state and the depth of his emotions.
• The intensity of this lament transcends personal pain, affecting even the trap and the hunter.
• It signifies the universal and existential nature of the pain of separation, impacting all of existence.
• This lament is an authentic, primordial cry that compels even the agents of capture to acknowledge it.