M6:1996 — گرد این بام و کبوتر‌خانه من / چون کبوتر پر زنم مستانه من

Translation: Around this roof and dovecote of mine, / Like a pigeon I fly, intoxicated, I. Meaning: Rumi expresses his ecstatic spiritual flight within his own inner, sacred domain, akin to a pigeon soaring in joyful abandon.

Here, Rumi speaks of dwelling in the sanctuary of eternal love and the Beloved with an astonishing and unprecedented fervor. The 'roof and dovecote' is a metaphor for his very soul and being, or more precisely, the sacred precinct of the Beloved where Rumi's soul lives and soars. I believe this verse, and the subsequent verses where Rumi hails Husam al-Din Chalabi as his Gabriel of Love and the Jesus of his Mary, are among the purest expressions of acknowledging the grace of the spiritual guide and the channel of divine bounty.

I have said before that Rumi is light-souled and a dancer, and the image of a 'pigeon' in 'intoxicated flight' is a precise depiction of this spirit. He is not like a weary ascetic or a reclusive devotee, but rather an intoxicated and restless lover who circles within his own sanctuary. This flight is an internal one; he flies upon the roof of his own existence or the roof of Husam al-Din's and Shams's love. However, this is only the apparent dimension of the story. In reality, this verse and similar ones are addressed to the Eternal Beloved, who at times reveals Himself to Rumi in the guise of Shams-e Tabrizi and at others in the form of Husam al-Din Chalabi.

In other words, Rumi views this roof and dovecote not merely as a physical location but as a spiritual and sacred arena. He imagines himself as a pigeon, intoxicated with divine rapture and joy, taking flight in this sacred space of his being. This 'intoxicated flight' testifies that Rumi stands in a state of union, and that from the primordial separation he laments at the beginning of the Masnavi, he has stepped towards reunion and embrace. This fervor and intoxication is the very delight and joy with which the Masnavi is imbued, and in my interpretation, the Masnavi is the 'polish of griefs' (Jalāʾ al-Aḥzān); not a source of sorrow, but a remover of sorrow and a bestower of joy.

Key takeaways

• Rumi describes his ecstatic spiritual flight within the sanctuary of love, at the peak of his mystical fervor.
• The 'roof and dovecote' symbolizes Rumi's inner, sacred realm or the inviolable presence of his Beloved.
• The 'intoxicated' flight of a pigeon reflects Rumi's light-souled, dancing, and joyful spiritual state.
• This verse signifies a state of profound union and ecstasy, transcending the initial lament of separation.