M6:563 — خوابها بیزار شد از چشم من / در غمت ای رشک سرو و یاسمن

Translation: Sleep has grown averse to my eyes, In sorrow for you, O envy of the cypress and jasmine.

Meaning: Mowlana, shedding narrative veils, speaks directly of his profound insomnia, driven by an intense longing and sorrow for the Beloved, whose beauty surpasses and indeed, shames, the most graceful and fragrant forms of nature.

This particular verse marks a pivotal moment in the Masnavi, where Mowlana steps out from behind the narrative veil of the trapped bird and speaks directly from his own spiritual condition. This bird, ensnared in the trap, is no longer merely an external symbol but Mowlana himself, recounting the contradictions of his own heart and his profound restlessness. The phrase, "Sleep has grown averse to my eyes," paints a picture of deep, consuming disquiet that steals peace from the individual. This is not ordinary physical insomnia but the outcome of a searing longing and a soul-crushing sorrow (gham) in separation from the Beloved – a grief intrinsically linked to love in our mystical tradition.

The address, "O envy of the cypress and jasmine," underscores the unparalleled majesty and beauty of the Divine Beloved. The cypress, a symbol of graceful, upright stature, and the jasmine, emblematic of sweet fragrance and delicacy, are among nature's most enchanting manifestations. Yet, Mowlana asserts that his Beloved possesses such beauty that even these paragons of natural grace are moved to envy. This expression signifies that the Beloved's beauty transcends any material or physical description, representing absolute perfection.

This sorrow and restlessness are not of the order of tanḥā'ī (loneliness) but rather of judā'ī (separation). Mowlana never speaks of loneliness because the Beloved is never truly absent; rather, we are the ones who have fallen away. It is a separation from a Beloved who is always "closer to me than I am to myself," and this pain of separation itself serves as a bridge to reunion. This is the ḥuzn-i akhḍar (green sorrow), a constructive and dignifying grief that prepares the heart not for despair but for flight. Mowlana's words in these verses are not a complaint about the crookedness of the world, but the lover's lament about distance and anticipation, a lament that ultimately guides towards unity and union.

Key takeaways

• This verse represents Mowlana's direct voice, speaking of his inner state rather than merely narrating the bird's story.
• "Sleeplessness" here symbolizes the profound depth of restlessness and immersion in divine sorrow and yearning.
• Mowlana's Beloved possesses such beauty that even nature's most exquisite forms (cypress and jasmine) envy it.
• This sorrow is the judā'ī (separation) from an ever-present Beloved, not the tanḥā'ī (loneliness) of abandonment in a meaningless world.