لوستل› دفتر ۱› د رومیانو او چینیانو تر منځ د نقاشۍ او صورتګرۍ په علم کې د سیالۍ کیسه› بيت ۳۴۷۶
M1:3476 — چینیان گفتند ما نقاشتر / رومیان گفتند ما را کر و فر
M1:3476
مانا · به زبانِ تو — ستاسو ژبه · AI
In a contest of art, the Chinese claim superiority based on their skill in painting and adding color, while the Romans (Byzantines) claim superiority based on an inherent magnificence they possess.
This couplet opens a famous parable in the Masnavi about two rival groups of artists, the Chinese and the Romans (representing the Byzantines), who compete to decorate a room for a king. The story is an allegory for two different approaches to spiritual knowledge.
The Chinese represent the exoteric path of knowledge, which relies on acquiring forms, colors, and sensory data—adding layers of learning and imagery to the soul. They are masters of naqsh (form, painting). Their claim, “We are the better painters,” is a claim to mastery over the world of appearances and acquired arts.
The Romans, in contrast, represent the esoteric, mystical path of the Sufis. Their claim to karr u farr (pomp and splendor, glory) is not about what they can add, but about an essential, inherent brilliance they can reveal. As the story unfolds, they do not paint at all; instead, they polish the walls of their room until they become a perfect, spotless mirror. Their art is one of purification and unveiling, not of addition and decoration. This opening beyt sets up the central tension between knowledge gained through the senses (the Chinese) and knowledge gained by polishing the heart (the Romans).
- کر و فر
- A rhyming compound phrase meaning 'pomp and splendor' or 'glory and magnificence.' It suggests an inherent, majestic quality rather than an applied decoration.
- نقاشتر
- The comparative form of 'painter' (naqqāsh), meaning 'a better painter' or 'more of a painter.' It signifies greater skill in the art of painting.
- رومیان
- Literally 'the Romans,' but in the context of Rumi's time and location (Anatolia, former Byzantine territory), this refers to the Byzantines, often associated with Greek Orthodox Christianity and a tradition of iconography and polished surfaces (like mirrors).
- چینیان
- Literally 'the Chinese.' In the medieval Islamic imagination, China was the epitome of mastery in the art of painting and intricate craftsmanship.
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