M6:2466 — در میانه بی‌دلی ده چوب خورد / بی‌گناهی که برو از راه برد

Translation: In the midst of the heedless, he received ten blows; an innocent one whom they chased away with "go away from the path." Meaning: This verse describes the injustice inflicted upon an innocent person who, amidst a heedless crowd, is unjustly beaten and driven off the path with harsh commands.

This beyt offers a stark depiction of overt injustice against the innocent, perpetrated by those in power under the guise of maintaining order and even piety. Mowlana here narrates the story of a king journeying to the congregational mosque, whose retinue, with sticks and shouts of "get out of the way" (boru az rāh, bord), violently disperses the crowd. In this melee, an innocent individual, disregarded and rendered "heartless" or "bewildered" by the sudden assault, receives "ten blows"—a symbolic number for many—and is aggressively pushed aside.

I recall witnessing similar, though less violent, scenes myself during a visit to the Soviet Union in the 1980s, observing how police escorts would use batons to clear roads for VIPs, including us. Such spectacles, as also depicted in Manuchehri's court poetry, are ancient images of power's display, where gold-belted guards with drawn swords would clear paths for the monarch, removing any protestor from the way.

Mowlana's verse, however, transcends mere anecdote. This story serves as a springboard for a deeper reflection on the nature of evil. The innocent person, bleeding, confronts the king, questioning: if this is the "good deed" (khayr) of going to the mosque, then what frightful "evil" (shar) and "burden" (vezr) will arise from you? This question challenges the very essence of a seemingly benevolent act that ultimately inflicts pain and suffering upon the populace.

From this point, Mowlana pivots to distinguish between animal aggression and human cunning. He states, "Though the wolf is truly oppressive, it lacks that 'culture' and guile and deceit." In other words, an animal may be predatory, but its aggression is not born of cunning or stratagem. A wolf or a dragon acts purely on instinct, without comprehending notions of justice or injustice. They possess "force" (qowwat) but lack "stratagem" (chāra). Humans, by contrast, even if they lack the physical prowess of animals, have "deceit always present within them" (makr andar ādamī bāshad mudām). This is the "culture" (using the archaic sense of farhang as trickery or artifice), the kēyd (guile), and makr (deceit) that allows humans to inflict harm calculably and consciously. As philosophers like Gilbert Ryle speak of "second-order activities"—actions built upon primary actions, such as criticizing, repenting, or indeed, deceiving—this capacity for thought and calculation renders human oppression far more profound and destructive than mere animalistic ferocity. The innocent one in this beyt is a victim of this human deceit and heartlessness, not merely the blind force of nature.

Key takeaways

• Power and outward piety can often mask profound cruelty and injustice.
• The innocent become easy targets for oppressors amidst the heedlessness and apathy of crowds.
• Human cunning and deceit distinguish their forms of oppression from mere animalistic aggression.
• State-sanctioned or mob violence, even under the guise of maintaining "order," readily leads to grave injustice.
• Mowlana views farhang (in its archaic sense of trickery) as a human trait that distinguishes human evil from animalistic predation.