M6:1656 — چنگیی را کو نوازد بیست و چار / چون نیابد گوش گردد چنگ بار

Translation: A chāngī (lutenist) who plays twenty-four (modes), When he finds no ear, the chāng (lute) becomes a burden. Meaning: Mowlana states that when a performer or speaker lacks an eager and receptive audience, their art and words not only fail to bring joy but transform into a heavy burden.

This verse, in my estimation, offers a brilliant insight into the reciprocal dynamics between speaker and listener, or performer and audience, in Mowlana's thought. It speaks of a changi (a player of the chang, a harp or lute) who masterfully performs all twenty-four maqams (musical modes). Yet, if he finds no receptive ear, his very instrument becomes a burden to him. This expression transcends a mere psychological observation; it delves into an ontological and epistemic root.

Mowlana clearly demonstrates in this verse that speech, wisdom, and art are not solely emitted from the speaker or artist; rather, they manifest through an active give-and-take with the listener or audience. As a hadith (whose content is noble, even if its authenticity might be debated) recounts: «إنّ الله یُلقِّن الحکمة على لسان الواعظین بِقَدْر هِمَم المستمعین» — meaning, God inspires wisdom on the tongue of preachers in proportion to the zeal and readiness of the listeners. This implies that even God considers the listeners' capacity when bestowing words upon the preacher.

This principle operates at all levels of existence: from a chang player to a teacher whose warmth and earnestness stem from their students, to a prophet who brings revelation from the Divine. If there are no listeners to absorb beautiful speech, if there are no students whose understanding and fervor energize the teacher, and if there are no humans with 'unseen-perceiving ears' and 'creation-seeing eyes' on earth, then wisdom and revelation would not descend from the heavens, and the cosmos would not manifest its splendor.

As Mowlana puts it, when a changi finds 'no ear,' 'neither a harāra (melody) comes to him, nor a ghazal, nor do his ten fingers move in action.' This means not only joy and ecstasy but even the very possibility of artistic action is denied to him. The chang is no longer an instrument of delight but a 'burden.' In essence, it is the eager and receptive ear that breathes existence into art and wisdom. Without such an ear, art and wisdom remain in potentiality and do not come to fruition. This resonates with Saʿdi's profound observation: «تا نکند فهم سخن مستمع / قوت طبع از متکلم مجوی» (Until the listener comprehends the speech, do not seek the power of eloquence from the speaker).

This perspective elevates the importance of the 'listener' and 'audience' to the status of a co-creator in manifestation. The listener is not merely a passive recipient; it is they, through their zeal and presence, who bring the speaker to speech and the musician to music. This holds true not only for our earthly communications but, as Mowlana further elaborates in subsequent verses, also for the relationship between heaven and earth: «گر نبودی گوش‌های غیب‌گیر / وحی ناوردی ز گردون یک بشیر» (If there were no ears receptive to the unseen, no bearer of revelation would come from the heavens). And even: «ور نبودی دیده‌های صنع‌بین / نه فلک گشتی نه خندیدی زمین» (If there were no eyes that perceive creation, neither would the heavens revolve nor would the earth smile). This indicates that existence itself, in its myriad manifestations, is contingent upon conscious observers and listeners.

Key takeaways

• Wisdom and art manifest through a reciprocal interaction between the speaker/artist and the listener/audience.
• The audience's inattentiveness severs art from its source of inspiration, turning it into a heavy burden.
• The listener's enthusiasm and receptivity are crucial for the wellspring of inspiration and creativity.
• This principle applies not only to human communication but also to the manifestation of divine revelation and even the blossoming of existence itself.
• The absence of receptive ears hinders the emergence of wisdom and the unseen, whether from humans or from God.