M6:575 — در حیا پنهان شدم هم‌چون سجاف / ناگهان بجهم ازین زیر لحاف

Translation: I hid in modesty like a sewn hem; / Suddenly, I shall leap from beneath this quilt. Meaning: The speaker, overcome by an unbearable intensity of love, can no longer maintain modesty or conceal their profound inner truths, intending to reveal them without reserve.

This couplet emerges amidst Rumi's discourse on the 'madness of the lover' (dīvānegī-ye ʿāsheq) and 'sweet melancholy of love' (ʿeshq-e khosh-sowdā), an affection distinct from ordinary madness or conventional melancholy. It's a love that renders one devoid of conventional culture and wisdom, as the preceding verses attest: the lover declares, 'I am sated with culture and sagacity.' The speaker finds themselves at a juncture where they can no longer bear to hold back the 'revealed secret' (rāz-e fāsh). Ḥayā (modesty or shame) here acts as a veil concealing the lover's heart, much like a sajāf (a sewn-in hem or border) on a garment. Ostensibly part of the clothing, the sajāf also functions as a boundary for what must remain covered. However, this concealment cannot endure. The liḥāf (quilt or cover) symbolizes the overarching veil holding secrets beneath. To 'leap out from beneath this quilt' is not a mere choice but a necessity—a sudden, uncontrollable eruption from within that yearns to 'remove the veils' and 'reveal the secrets.' This step is taken when the lover confronts the 'august Beloved' (maʿshūq-e muḥtasham), a Beloved who possesses both infinite love and boundless power. Rumi emphasizes that this Beloved is a 'blood-drinking lion' (shīr-e nar-e khūn-khwāra), a manifestation of absolute divine power in the experience of some mystics; a power that has no compunction in tearing apart and upon which no moral critique can be levied. In the presence of such a Beloved, concealing love and its secrets becomes meaningless. The only path is 'submission and contentment' (taslīm-o reżā) and a state of self-effacement. Thus, leaping from beneath the quilt of modesty is an act of utter surrender and an admission of helplessness before a force that can no longer be ignored.

Key takeaways

• This couplet marks the climax of a lover's impatience, where concealment becomes unbearable.
• Here, ḥayā (modesty/shame) is not a virtue but a veil to be torn apart on the path of love.
• The 'leap from beneath the quilt' is a sudden, involuntary act, dictated by the overwhelming passion of love.
• The lover's revelation of secrets occurs in the face of the Beloved's absolute and unquestionable power, which strips the heart of any capacity for concealment.
• This fervor is part of Rumi's 'sweet melancholy' and 'sweet madness,' which transcends conventional logic.