M6:911 — هم‌چو سنگ آسیا اندر مدار / روز و شب گردان و نالان بی‌قرار

Translation: Like a millstone in its circuit, Day and night, turning and groaning, restless.

Meaning: This verse portrays the state of a lover who, like a millstone, ceaselessly turns and groans within the orbit of love. This turning and lamenting, however, is not a complaint but an expression of absolute surrender to the overwhelming power of love.

This passionate verse, which Mawlana includes in the sixth book of the Masnavi, appears within the narrative of Bilal and Hilal, in the context of speaking about overwhelming love. Here, Mawlana likens the lover to a millstone that, in its circuit, turns and groans restlessly day and night. But let us delve into the depths of this analogy to understand Mawlana's true intention.

First and foremost, this groaning and turning is absolutely neither a complaint nor an objection. Mawlana has repeatedly emphasized that complaining about this world and fate is not the way of lovers. As he states elsewhere: "Am I complaining about the Soul of the soul? / I am not the complainer, I am narrating" (M1:~1000), he makes this point clear. The groaning of this millstone is an existential lament; an expression of the state in which the lover finds themselves. The millstone has no will of its own; a force sets it in motion, and from this involuntary turning, a sound and a groan arise. This analogy intends to convey that the lover is utterly subdued by the force of love, a force that turns them involuntarily in its orbit, and their lament is a reflection of this lack of will and complete surrender.

Indeed, as Mawlana himself says in earlier verses of the same story (M6:905): "Love is an overwhelming force, and I am overcome by love / Like sugar, I have become sweet from love's fervor." It is this irresistible power of love that compels the lover into relentless motion. The lover is like a blade of straw before a gale (M6:906): "I am a blade of straw before you, O mighty wind / How can I know where I shall fall?" It is this admirable helplessness and this sweet surrender that takes on the form of the millstone's state.

This groan is not a 'complaint' (shekāyat), but a 'narration' (hekāyat); a narration of the heart's state of a lover who has fallen into the swift flood of love and has surrendered their heart to love's decree: "Lovers have fallen into a swift flood / They have set their hearts on love's decree" (M6:910). This state of restlessness is not due to anxiety or distress, but to fervor and infatuation. This is the 'green sorrow' that Mawlana speaks of; a sorrow that ultimately transforms into joy and flight, not despairing grief. This perpetual turning and continuous lament is the very essence of the lover's life; a sign of being alive and within the flow of love. Mawlana here takes a deep departure from existentialist philosophers who lament human 'loneliness' and 'abandonment'. The millstone's groan is not a lament of loneliness, but of a separation in which the memory of the Beloved and reunion with Him are always present. The millstone turns because it must turn; it groans because it must groan. This is the key to understanding many of Mawlana's verses: surrender to the will of love, without uttering a word of complaint, and even without being preoccupied with gratitude. This is the highest station in the seeker's journey: "When it laments grievously, without thanks or complaint / A commotion falls into the seven heavens" (M5:1094).

Key takeaways

• Love is an overwhelming and conquering force that compels the lover to move involuntarily.
• The millstone's (lover's) groan is an expression of being subdued by love, not a complaint against fate.
• The lover's restlessness and continuous turning in love's orbit is the very essence of their life and surrender.
• This lament is a 'narration' (hekāyat); a recounting of the inner state of a heart that has fallen into love's flood.
• The lover's state transcends gratitude and complaint, embodying absolute surrender and existential expression.