M6:1042 — دیدهٔ این هفت رنگ جسمها / در نیابد زین نقاب آن روح را

Translation: The eye that perceives these seven-colored bodies / Cannot grasp that spirit through this veil (of color). Meaning: This verse asserts that our outward-looking eye, accustomed to sensing the manifold colors and forms of the physical world, is incapable of perceiving the colorless, hidden spirit residing behind these appearances.

In this profound couplet, Mowlana opens a window onto the hidden layers of reality, stating: "The eye that perceives these seven-colored bodies / Cannot grasp that spirit through this veil (of color)." This implies that our outward eye, accustomed to discerning the myriad colors and forms of the physical world, is utterly incapable of grasping the colorless, abstract spirit that resides behind these vibrant veils.

Our ancestors, as Hafez elegantly put it ("Come, for we have veiled the seven curtains of the eye by the workshop of imagination"), believed the eye to be composed of multiple layers or "curtains." Yet Mowlana, with what appears to be a foresight beyond his time, alludes to the "seven colors that are in bodies"—a concept scientifically validated centuries later by Newton's prism and his discovery of the seven-color spectrum of light. Mowlana's insight, however, extends far beyond this observation. He speaks not merely of these seven colors, but of the very inability of this color-perceiving eye to apprehend "colorlessness."

This eye was fashioned for the perception of colors, not for the apprehension of what transcends all colors and forms. It is akin to a human being, immersed in this "world of the foolish" (ahmaq-kada), who judges values based on skin color, the price of goods, or superficial status. They distinguish the black slave from the white, the cheap commodity from the expensive, but fail to see the "colorless spirit that sits behind these colors." This veil of color-perception acts as a barrier, obstructing the vision of formless truth.

This represents one of the most crucial insights in the Masnavi: that "the world of forms has emerged from the formless." All these forms and colors are but foam upon the boundless sea of the soul—foams that can prevent our eyes from seeing the depth of the water. The colorless spirit, like water or colorless light, or even wind that lacks form and direction, is the origin and root of every form, yet itself remains free from the constraints of form and color. This beyt invites us to free ourselves from this "heedlessness of color-perception" and move towards the apprehension of the formless and colorless, for this world, in essence, is the manifestation of the formless, and "the soul is the origin, the body a branch."

Key takeaways

• The outward eye, focused on corporeal colors and forms, is inherently incapable of perceiving the colorless, abstract spirit.
• The 'veil of color-perception' (نقاب رنگ‌بینی) acts as an impediment to apprehending formless truth.
• Mowlana's insight into the 'seven colors' points to a foresight transcending his era, scientifically affirmed by Newton centuries later.
• This verse serves as an invitation to transcend the heedlessness of appearances and move towards the apprehension of the formless and true essence.
• The world of forms is merely foam upon the boundless sea of the formless spirit; 'the soul is the origin, the body a branch.'