M6:1977 — عشق را در پیچش خود یار نیست / محرمش در ده یکی دیار نیست

Translation: Love has no companion in its convolutions; its confidant is not to be found in a single dwelling of any village.

Meaning: Rumi here emphasizes the profound and essential solitude of the lover. Love, by its very nature, is a solitary path with no true confidant to share its intimate secrets.

Here, Rumi descends into a profound 'sowda' (melancholy, often implying a noble madness) and speaks of the inner state of the lover. He connects the story of the poor treasure-seeker, who retreated into himself to ponder his quest, to the condition of lovers. This 'entanglement in one's own sowda,' Rumi tells us, is the lot of lovers; they contemplate within themselves, finding no other companion. Their solace comes from within, and the one who hears their heart's lament is none other than themselves.

Rumi terms this 'ishq-i darandīsh' – a love that contemplates pain, not pleasure. For pain, too, emanates from the Beloved and is therefore sought after and cherished. As Hafez declares, 'My pain is from the Beloved, and the cure likewise.' Rumi likens this state to a dog licking its own wound, signifying the lover's self-sufficiency in their sorrow. The adage, 'No one scratches my back but my own fingernail,' finds its profound resonance here; the lover understands that in this path, there is no helper but oneself.

The verse explicitly states: 'Love has no companion in its convolutions; its confidant is not to be found in a single dwelling of any village.' This means that in the inner intricacies of love, there is no true companion or partner; not even one person in an entire village can be found to be the confidant of the lover. Here, Rumi seems to reveal his own inner state, implying: 'You who see me in society, you know nothing of my inner world and my amorous entanglements. In that realm of amorous pain, no one dwells, no one at all.' The lover loves in solitude, without a partner or companion. This assertion brings to mind the truth that love, much like death, is a singular and solitary experience. As philosophers tell us, we each die alone, and similarly, we love alone. Rumi's exalted expression, 'Rejoice, O Love, that vast partnership-destroyer (sherkat-sūz),' further underscores this meaning; love permits no participation from others; it consumes partnership.

This 'madness' of the lover, however, is not common insanity. Medicine and medical science have no sway over it, as they deal with common ailments. This rare and specific 'illness' escapes the grasp of conventional therapy. Rumi suggests that if a physician were to be afflicted by this madness of love, they would 'wash their medical book with blood,' meaning they would abandon all medical knowledge, no longer seeking to cure themselves. Indeed, they would not even desire a cure. This is the only ailment whose sufferer does not wish to be free from it, but rather cherishes and guards it.

From Rumi's perspective, love is so supreme and singular that 'the wisdom of all intellects is engraved upon it' (Tibb-i jumla aqlhā manqūsh-i ūst); meaning all intellects and wisdom emerge from love, and learn their healing from it. Even the outward beauty of beloveds is merely a 'veil' or mask over the true countenance of love. The lover is initially captivated by this veil, but if they are people of heart, they will find their way inward and become acquainted with the true Beloved. Finally, Rumi addresses the lover: 'Turn your face to your own face, O devotee of love; O enamored one, you have no kin but yourself.' O practitioner of love, you have no kin or companion but your own self; therefore, sit with yourself and in your solitude, reveal your secret to yourself. It is as if Rumi is imparting these words to himself, sharing his inner states and ecstatic passion, especially in the later years of his blessed life (Book Six).

Key takeaways

• Love is an inherently solitary and unshared experience, devoid of confidants.
• This solitude of love differs from existential loneliness; it is a chosen and deeply present state, not one of abandonment.
• The pain and suffering arising from love are cherished, for they come from the Beloved, and the lover contemplates and guards this pain.
• The madness of love is distinct from common insanity; no physician can cure it, nor does the lover wish to be freed from it.
• The apparent beauty of beloveds serves as a mask over the true face of love; the seeker must journey from form to meaning.
• Love is the source of all intellect and wisdom, yet it transcends mere rational comprehension.