M6:2731 — بحث کردند اندرین کار آن دو یار / آخر آن بحث آن آمد قرار

Translation: Those two companions debated about this matter / At last, that debate arrived at a resolution. Meaning: This verse describes the conclusion of a discussion between two friends who, after deliberating, finally agree upon a specific method to establish communication between themselves.

This verse emerges from a profound and meaningful story in the Masnavi—the dialogue between the mouse and the frog. The mouse symbolizes the body (tan), which is earthy and terrestrial, while the frog symbolizes the soul (jan), which is aquatic and celestial. Despite their divergent natures, these two seek a way to communicate. After much debate and discussion, they arrive at a solution: "That they might procure a long string / So that by the string's pull, the secret might be revealed.". One end of this string is tied to the mouse's foot, and the other to the frog's, so that when one pulls the string, the other becomes aware of its presence and summons, and comes toward it.

I interpret this narrative as an allegory for the relationship between the soul and the body. The body is this earthy, terrestrial mouse that prevents the soul from soaring. Our soul is that aquatic frog, immersed in the ocean of divine knowledge. Rumi states elsewhere, "The body is like a rope tied to the soul's foot / Pulling it down to earth from the heavens.". This body acts like a rope, dragging the soul to the ground, preventing it from ascending to the celestial realms. Our soul, in the ocean of existence and truth, is absorbed in a 'sleep of unconsciousness' and celestial dreams. However, the needs of the body, that very 'mouse of the body,' pull this string, awakening it: "The mouse of the body pulls it back by that string / The soul tastes many bitter moments from this tugging.". These bitter experiences and interruptions of spiritual bliss are the result of the body's pulls.

Our soul is inherently predisposed to flight, "The soul, due to its lightness, is all about flying"; it does not belong to this earthly realm. It is trapped in the cage of the body, awaiting the day this weight is cast off so it can soar weightlessly into the expanse of the angelic realm. This perpetual struggle between soul and body, between the yearning for ascent and the pull of the earth, is the central 'complaint' of the reed in the Masnavi, which 'narrates' (not complains about) separations. "Our true home is elsewhere, and the essence of the Masnavi narrates separations... Here, we are in exile, and this is not our true homeland.".

This is a lesson the Masnavi imparts to us: not to cling to the promises of the future (nasī'a) but to grasp the immediacy of the present moment (naqd-i hāl). Indeed, even a 'slap' (sīlī) received from the Beloved today is preferable to a sweetened promise of tomorrow. The body, with all its heavy demands, ties us to this present reality, to this very moment where we feel the Beloved's presence with all its bitterness and sweetness. Although the soul experiences bitterness from the body's pulls, it is precisely this tugging that concretizes our presence in this world and allows for the 'mingling of soul with body,' albeit temporarily.

Key takeaways

• The verse describes a solution for communication between two beings of differing natures (the earthly mouse and the aquatic frog).
• Rumi employs this allegory to explain the complex relationship between the soul and body: the body (mouse) acts as a tether, pulling the soul (frog) to the ground.
• The string symbolizes the tangible and continuous connection between the spiritual soul and the physical body.
• Bodily needs, akin to constant tugs on the string, divert the soul from its spiritual reveries, imbuing it with a taste of bitterness.
• This struggle signifies the soul's exile within the cage of the body and its eternal longing for flight and return to its origin.
• The allegory underscores the importance of valuing the present moment (naqd-i hāl) and immediate presence, even if accompanied by hardship, over future promises.