M6:1696 — اطلس چه دعوی چه رهن چی / ترک سرمستست در لاغ اچی

Translation: What is the atlas, what is the claim, what is the wager? The Turk is intoxicated by the tailor-brother's jests. Meaning: This verse describes a Turk so utterly captivated and inebriated by the tailor's jokes and pleasantries that he forgets his valuable silk fabric, along with his boastful claim and the wager he made.

This verse is a dramatic tableau, masterfully painted by Rumi, illustrating the human condition of heedlessness. The Turk in the story, utterly lost in the tailor’s jesting laughter, becomes so beside himself that the meaning of “What is the atlas, what is the claim, what is the wager?” becomes clear. Everything—his precious silk fabric, his firm boast that no one could ever steal from him, and even the substantial wager he made—vanishes from his memory. This ‘intoxication in jests’ (sarmastī dar lāgh) is a poignant symbol for the state of many of us.

I see this as an allegory for our own lives. We, as human beings, often become bloated with the ‘play and triviality’ (lahv o lāgh) of this world; we are, as Rumi puts it, ‘old children’ (pīr-i ṭiflān). Though years may have passed, in a true sense, we remain raw and inexperienced, easily amused by every ‘story’ and every ‘joke,’ forgetting our true assets. That cunning tailor is none other than the ‘common tailor’ (darzī-yi ʿām) who sews clothes for these century-old, yet raw, children; but this sewing is nothing less than the systematic theft of pieces of our life’s fabric.

This tailor represents time, fate, or perhaps the worldly temptations that, under the guise of entertainment and sweet talk, cut away piece by piece from the ‘atlas’ of our being and our time. With this verse, Rumi does not merely present a story but holds up a mirror to us, urging us to examine our own state. With a bitter yet profound wisdom, he asks, “Is there any fable more laughable than you?” He means that you yourself are the most ridiculous fable and object of amusement if you squander your capital so easily and cheaply, caught in the grip of heedlessness.

What God has bestowed upon us—life, intellect, and opportunities—is all like that valuable atlas. To become oblivious to it in the name of entertainment is precisely to ‘exceed the limit’ (az ḥadd burdan), which transforms divine grace (luṭf-i ḥaqq) into ‘tale-bearing’ (ghammāzī). God is the Coverer of faults (sattār al-ʿuyūb), but if a human being oversteps their bounds, that same God will expose hidden secrets. This story is not merely about a Turk and a tailor; it is about each one of us, who become intoxicated in the world’s ‘jests’ (lāgh-i achī) and forget, “what is the wager?

Key takeaways

• The verse vividly portrays humanity's utter heedlessness in the face of captivating distractions.
• The atlas fabric symbolizes our life's capital and precious possessions, stolen while we are oblivious.
• The tailor distracts the Turk with jokes and trivial talk, an allegory for the 'play and triviality' (lahv o lāgh) of the world.
• The intoxicated Turk represents 'old children' (pīr-i ṭiflān): individuals who, despite their age, remain immature and childlike, pursuing vain amusements.
• This verse serves as Rumi's warning about how time and opportunities are lost through negligence and inattention.
• It implicitly references divine wisdom: God is the Coverer of faults, but excessive heedlessness and transgression lead to exposure.