M6:4061 — دعوی مرغابئی کردست جان / کی ز طوفان بلا دارد فغان

Translation: The soul has made the claim of being a murghābī (waterfowl) / One that never cries out from the storm of calamity. Meaning: The mystic's soul, likening itself to a resolute waterfowl, asserts its innate fearlessness, neither dreading tumultuous waves nor lamenting life's profound adversities.

This verse appears in the sixth book of the Masnavi, a period when Rumi was preparing for his final flight. In this late stage of his life, as he 'saw the prow of the ship of death nearing the horizon,' his insights deepened, leading him to new spiritual heights. Here, the soul, with profound audacity, declares itself a murghābī (waterfowl). A murghābī's natural habitat is in the waters, even amidst turbulent waves. It does not fear the storm; rather, it feels a sense of unity and belonging within its very heart. 'When would it cry out from the storm of calamity?' is a rhetorical question Rumi poses, the answer to which lies in negation: a true waterfowl never cries out or laments in a storm.

This 'waterfowl claim' is, in essence, the soul's declaration of readiness to face any trial or calamity, including those associated with death and the transition from this world. This claim is not merely a metaphor; it is an ontological truth that the loving soul has attained. In Rumi's view, the storms of calamity are not sources of despair and terror, but opportunities for immersion and the manifestation of the soul's profound depths. This is the same approach Rumi emphasizes throughout the Masnavi: moving beyond superficial complaint to inner narration. The gnostic's soul, at the zenith of its knowledge, finds itself to be a part of the boundless ocean of existence and deems any lament or outcry from the storm beneath its dignity.

I have stated repeatedly that Rumi is 'light-souled' (sabuk-rūḥ), and his Masnavi is a book of joy, not sorrow. Even in the face of death, which typically evokes grief, Rumi's soul adopts a state of swimming and unity with the sea. The 'storm of calamity' here can symbolize any existential challenge, from illness and poverty to the Mongol invasions and the loss of loved ones. Yet, the waterfowl-like soul never falters or complains in any of these. This is the essence of faith, the essence of reliance on God, and ultimately, the essence of love that eradicates all fear.

Key takeaways

• The loving soul's fearless declaration in the face of life's and death's adversities.
• Unity with the ocean of being eradicates all fear of the storm of calamity.
• The waterfowl-like soul, at its spiritual peak, is beyond all lament and outcry.
• Rumi's spiritual zenith in his later years: readiness to swim in the sea of non-existence.
• In Rumi's view, calamities are not for sorrow, but opportunities for the manifestation of the soul's depth.