M6:1254 — هر چه او درخواست از نان یا سبوس / چربکی می‌گفت و می‌کردش فسوس

Translation: Whatever the beggar requested, be it bread or bran, / The householder spoke with mockery and lamented for him. Meaning: This couplet describes a beggar's futile requests in an empty house, where every plea is met with ridicule and pity; a powerful metaphor for the barrenness of a soul devoid of inner substance.

Rumi, with his characteristic profound insight, consistently moves beyond superficialities to address the core essence. Here, after describing the plight of an old woman who, upon self-reflection, found no appeal in her own being, he turns to the tale of a dervish who arrived at an empty house. This story, in truth, is an allegory for the 'empty heart' and the 'barren mind' of humankind.

I believe this couplet and the ones that follow powerfully depict this emptiness and destitution. The beggar asked the householder for bread or bran, and the householder responded with mockery (charbak) and lamented over him (fosus kardan). It was as if to say, "This is neither a bakery, nor a butcher's shop, nor a mill, nor even a source of water." Whatever the beggar sought, he was met with denial and ridicule, for the house was devoid of anything useful.

This anecdote serves as a bitter and striking warning. When an individual looks within and finds no knowledge, no good deeds, no good intentions, no virtue in their soul, and no insight in their gaze, what purpose does such a thoroughly empty being serve? Rumi helps us understand that this inner destitution is the worst kind of suffering, a torment worse than death itself.

The conclusion of the story, which unfolds in subsequent verses, reveals the ultimate extent of this emptiness: the beggar ultimately decides to relieve himself in this fruitless house, rationalizing, "Since there is no means of living here, one must defecate on such a house." This shocking act demonstrates the profound worthlessness of a house devoid of any goodness or utility. Indeed, Rumi, with this unsettling example, tells us that if the heart is empty of virtues and divine knowledge, it serves no noble purpose and resembles nothing more than a refuse heap. Of course, behind this harsh allegory, there is always a message of hope, which Rumi will reveal elsewhere, but at this moment, the emphasis is on the depth and severity of this emptiness.

Key takeaways

• Inner emptiness and the lack of knowledge and virtues constitute humanity's greatest suffering.
• Rumi, through the allegory of the empty house and the despairing beggar, illustrates the worthlessness of a barren heart and mind.
• Whatever is sought from an empty interior will yield nothing but mockery and regret (charbak and fosus).
• A person devoid of virtue and insight is like a house with no means of living within it.
• Rumi's stark allegories serve as a serious warning for self-reflection on our inner substance.