M1:1819 — ما چو زنبور‌یم و قالب‌ها چو موم / خانه خانه کرده قالب را چو موم

Translation: We are like bees and our forms are like wax; Having made the form, house by house, like wax. Meaning: This verse illustrates how our soul and heart (likened to a bee) actively shape and structure the forms and bodies of the world (likened to wax). It emphasizes the active, form-giving essence of our inner being over the sensible world.

Undoubtedly, Mawlana expresses a profound philosophical and mystical point here. This verse follows his discussions where he considers the human heart and soul to be the essence (jawhar) and the sensible world and its forms to be their accidents (ʿaraḍ) or shadows. I believe this interpretation is far closer to Mawlana's own spirit than merely deriving it from Plato's allegory of the cave, although there are superficial similarities.

Mawlana declares with striking clarity: "Wine became drunk from us, not we from it; / Form came into being from us, not we from it." And elsewhere he states: "The sweetness of milk and honey is the reflection of the heart; / Every pleasantness is obtained by the heart." These verses, alongside the one in question, reveal a fundamental truth: we derive pleasure, rather than objects being inherently pleasurable. It is our heart that bestows pleasantness upon things. A poison might kill us, yet be a medicine for another creature. A certain food is delicious to me, but not to another. This demonstrates that we have agency in this grand scheme; we play a role. When we perceive something as beautiful, find it delicious, or deem it joyful, it is because we bestow that joy upon it; we make it pleasant or unpleasant.

In this vein, Mawlana asserts: "Then the heart is the essence and the world the accident; / How could the heart desire its own shadow?" The heart is the essence, and the world is the accident; the heart is the origin, and the world is its shadow. How can that which is our shadow, subordinate to us, become our master? This is the great fallacy humans fall into: they mistake the subordinate for the master, the shadow for the origin. Instead of recognizing their own heart and its essence, they pursue its shadows—external pleasures and forms. This hunter of shadows spends a lifetime chasing something that ultimately yields nothing: "His quiver of life emptied, life passed / Exhausted from running after the shadow's chase."

Mawlana believes that the human soul is the origin, and the body is secondary; the forms of the world are like foam on the ocean of souls. It is the 'formlessness' (bi-ṣūratī) of the soul that gives shape to forms. Just as water takes the shape of its container, or colorless light reveals colors in objects. The soul is not in the body, but with the body, similar to how time is with the cosmos and has no location. Therefore, this verse is not merely a simple metaphor; it is a profound expression of Mawlana's worldview, in which the human essence plays an active and formative role in creating and experiencing the world around it.

Key takeaways

• The human heart and soul are the essence (jawhar) and origin of the sensible world, not vice versa; forms and bodies are shadows of the heart.
• We bestow pleasantness and derive pleasure from things; they are not inherently pleasant or enjoyable independent of us.
• The greatest human fallacy is mistaking the shadow for the origin and pursuing external forms instead of focusing on the inner essence.
• This verse emphasizes the soul's agency and formative role in perceiving and experiencing the world; the formless soul gives shape to forms.
• The soul is the origin, and the body is secondary; the sensible world is like foam on the ocean of souls.