M6:1586 — ذوق در غمهاست پی گم کرده‌اند / آب حیوان را به ظلمت برده‌اند

Translation: True relish is in sorrows; they have lost the track. / The Water of Life they have borne to darkness. Meaning: Rumi suggests that genuine joy and spiritual fulfillment are hidden within suffering and adversity, and that the path to profound insights often lies in unexpected, obscure places.

I believe this couplet reveals a fundamental, worldview-shaping principle in Rumi's Masnavi. It is not merely a moral admonition; it is an ontological decree regarding the structure of the world and human knowledge. Rumi states:

True relish is in sorrows; they have lost the track. / The Water of Life they have borne to darkness.

People generally pursue joy and treasures by rushing towards what appears bright and pleasant, fleeing from sorrow and darkness. Yet, the truth is precisely the opposite. This world operates inversely; not in the sense of being crooked or flawed, but in the sense that its true treasures are hidden in ruins, and its Water of Life in darkness.

The analogy of "treasure in ruins" (ganj dar vīrānaha) illustrates this point: treasures were historically concealed in homes, and over time, as these homes crumbled, the treasures would be discovered within their ruins. Similarly, profound and authentic laughter and joys are hidden within tears and the purifications that cleanse the human soul. A cry that polishes the soul can lead to inner expansion and felicity.

Here, Rumi alludes to the myth of the Water of Life (āb-i ḥaywān), which Alexander is said to have found in the darkness (ẓulmat), and Khizr to have drunk, gaining eternal life. For Rumi, this myth symbolizes this very inversion: the most valuable thing is found in the darkest, least expected places. This darkness can represent ignorance, suffering, and the hardships that humans tend to avoid.

People have "lost the track" (pī gum kardeʾand); that is, they have mistaken the path to this relish and the Water of Life. This is because they flee from sorrow, unaware that true joys and profound insights lie within these very sorrows and hardships. This inversion is not accidental; rather, it is part of "Divine Jealousy" (ghayrat-i ilāhī). It is as if God has veiled the treasures of knowledge and authentic joys in obscurity and difficulty to prevent them from easily falling into the hands of the unworthy and the heedless. Only those who "do not move with their backs to the treasure" and who dare to step into the darkness and embrace sorrows will reach this treasure.

Hāfeẓ occasionally offers a contrasting view, as when he says: «چون غمت را نتوان یافت مگر در دل شاد / ما به امید غمت خاطر شادی طلبیم» (Since your sorrow can only be found in a happy heart / We seek a happy heart in hopes of your sorrow). Hāfeẓ seeks joy to host the Beloved's sorrow; but Rumi says: true joy is within sorrow itself, not in a happy heart that precedes sorrow. Rumi teaches us that if we perceive the world as crooked, the root of that crookedness lies within ourselves. This world, in its essence, is perfect and flawless; its relish and beauty must be sought in its hidden and unconventional layers.

Key takeaways

• True joys and profound insights are hidden within sufferings and hardships.
• This world operates inversely; what is valuable is often concealed where it is least expected.
• The myth of the Water of Life in darkness symbolizes the pursuit of spiritual treasures through unconventional paths.
• Tears and sorrow can purify the soul, leading to inner expansion and authentic joy.
• "Divine Jealousy" (Ghayrat-i Ilahi) is the reason true treasures are hidden, preventing them from easily falling into unworthy hands.
• Those who flee from sorrow are, in effect, losing the track to genuine relish and happiness.