M1:4011 — سخت خاک‌آلود می‌آید سخن / آب تیره شد سر چه بند کن

Translation: Speech comes out heavily soiled, The water has turned muddy, so cap the well.

Meaning: Mowlana declares that his discourse has lost its pristine clarity and become muddled, indicating a cessation of divine inspiration, thus necessitating a pause in his poetic outpouring.

This verse, without a doubt, is a profound declaration of the very nature of Mowlana’s poetry and the source of his inspiration. As I have consistently emphasized, Mowlana's poetry is not born of deliberate effort or conscious crafting; rather, it is like a gushing spring from which a divine grace flows into him. Mowlana sees himself as a recipient and a relayer of this grace. This is why he sometimes speaks of an 'Other' who compels him to speak, and at other times finds himself in silence and stillness.

Here, this silence carries immense weight. When Mowlana states, "Speech comes out heavily soiled," it does not imply an intellectual inability or spiritual weariness on his part. Absolutely not. He is saying that the water flowing from this spring, destined to reach the lips of others, has now become murky and impure. The discourse is soiled, having lost its clarity. This 'soiling' originates not from the recipient of the grace (Mowlana), but from the source itself becoming turbid. This is an eloquent expression of the belief that when divine grace loses its clarity, or when a 'veil' seems to descend upon it, the mystic must cease speaking. One cannot utter muddled words in the name of revelation or inspiration.

The solution, then, is clear: "Cap the well." He advises sealing the well, meaning to cease speaking and to avoid forced, contrived expression. This is the very stance Mowlana articulates elsewhere, in the same vein of interrupted grace, saying: "Until God makes it clear and pleasant again / He who muddied it will also clarify it." That is to say, the one who muddied this water must also be the one to clarify and purify it once more. This demonstrates Mowlana’s complete dependence on the source of divine grace. He does not claim ownership of the well, to dig from it and draw water at his whim. As a conduit, he speaks only when the grace is pure and palatable. This is analogous to the distinction I see between the Quran’s imperative "Say!" and the Masnavi’s "Listen!"; in the Quran, God commands speaking, but in the Masnavi, Mowlana commands listening, for he considers himself the Tongue of God. Yet, this tongue speaks only when the word is clear and radiant.

Thus, this verse is not merely significant from a literary and mystical perspective, but also serves as a crucial historical marker in Mowlana's life. This verse, in fact, is the final verse of the first book of the Masnavi, and as we know, it was followed by a two-year hiatus in its composition. This pause was not due to fatigue or lack of content, but precisely because of this "soiling of speech" and the "muddying of the water." Mowlana embraced patience, for "Patience brings forth desire, not haste." He did not utter a single word until the flow of grace regained its purity. This is a profound lesson for all who believe that truth can be coerced into utterance. Truth flows only from a clear spring, and whenever that spring becomes turbid, the seeker's duty is silence.

Key takeaways

• Mowlana's poetry is divinely inspired, not a product of personal will; he sees himself as a conduit for divine grace.
• The quality of the mystic's discourse reflects the clarity of divine inspiration; when words become turbid, silence is mandated.
• The mystic's duty during a period of unclear divine flow is to cease speaking and practice patience, rather than forcing expression.
• This verse serves as Mowlana's historical justification and reference to the two-year hiatus in the composition of the Masnavi's books.