M6:2672 — آب این دریا که هایل بقعه‌ایست / با خمار ماهیان خود جرعه‌ایست

Translation: The water of this sea, which is itself an awesome expanse, is but a single draught for the deep craving of its own fish. Meaning: This verse underscores the immense scope of ultimate Truth and the infinite longing of seekers, implying that even the vast ocean of divine reality is but a mere sip for the insatiable thirst of the ardent soul, a sip that only deepens the yearning.

This beyt speaks to the infinite grandeur of Truth and the boundless thirst of mystics. The water of this sea (āb-e în daryā) is, without equivocation, the ocean of divine Unity, the absolute Reality itself. It is described as an awesome expanse (hāyel boqʿa-īst)—so vast and overwhelming that it is itself a sacred domain, capable of engulfing any perception. Yet, for the deep craving of its own fish (khamār-e māhiyān-e khod)—a phrase I read through Mawlana's own interpretative lens as the khamār (unending, post-intoxication thirst) of the lovers (ʿāshiqān)—even this infinite sea is but a single draught (jorʿa-īst). This is a testament not to the smallness of the sea, but to the infinity of the lover's thirst, a yearning that knows no bounds, where every experience, no matter how profound, only intensifies the flame of longing, rather than quenching it.

In essence, mystical experiences and heartfelt apprehensions of absolute unity, while immeasurably precious and exhilarating, offer only a taste of that boundless ocean to the perpetually thirsty soul of the lover. This draught affirms the reality of the sea but simultaneously reveals that the lover's soul is far vaster and thirstier than any sea or any finite experience. Mawlana himself emphasizes that 'There is no coming and going for lovers; their souls are intensely mastasqi' (deeply thirsty). This thirst is not of the kind that can be sated by a single sip; rather, it is embodied by a being (the fish) that lives in water, yet seems to grow only thirstier the more it drinks.

As I have often argued, Mawlana, when addressing those who perceive multiplicity (the 'ahwal,' or double-sighted ones), is compelled to 'speak like a polytheist' (moshrekāna dam zadan), resorting to dualities and pluralities, because language is an instrument designed for analysis and distinction. Yet, within this beyt, he points to the very essence of Unity—that oneness of which 'only duality can enter the field of discourse' for its description, and whose comprehension 'is contingent upon the death of the self.' This sea is the manifestation of that Unity which the intellect is powerless to grasp. Therefore, a draught from this sea is not meant to satiate, but to remind us of the boundless nature of the destination and the endlessness of the journey. Lovers perceive it as but a sip, not due to any deficiency of the sea, but due to the overwhelming abundance of their own thirst—and this, itself, is a sign of the exalted station of love.

Key takeaways

• Absolute Truth (the sea) is boundless and ineffable.
• The thirst of the mystic (the fish/lover) surpasses even the vastness of the sea.
• Mystical experiences of unity intensify longing rather than satiate it.
• The beyt illustrates the immense, insatiable craving of the ardent lover.
• This 'draught' serves as a reminder of the unattainable perfection and the eternal nature of the path.