M6:3050 — از رمهٔ انبه چه غم قصاب را / انبهی هش چه بندد خواب را

Translation: What sorrow does the butcher feel from a numerous flock? What can a multitude of wakefulness achieve against sleep? Meaning: In this verse, Rumi asserts that outward quantity and numerousness do not signify true power or effectiveness. Just as a butcher is not intimidated by a vast flock, and a multitude of wakefulness cannot overcome sleep, genuine strength lies in inner unity and cohesion, not mere numbers.

Rumi, in this verse, continues his profound exploration of the inefficacy of mere outward quantity versus the power derived from inner unity. He presents two striking examples to delineate the boundary between 'numerical gathering' (jamʿiyyat bi-ṣūrat) and 'inner unity of the soul' (jamʿiyyat dar jān). Earlier in this very book, he illustrated this with the parable of mice against a cat: had the mice possessed 'unity of soul' and resolve, despite their individual smallness and weakness, they could have triumphed over the cat, inflicting such harm that it would find 'no way out' (bīrūn-shaw). But because 'the mouse's soul lacks unity,' at a single cry from the cat, 'consciousness' (hūsh) flees them, even if 'the numbers of mice were a hundred thousand.'

This beyt encapsulates the same profound insight. First, Rumi asks: 'What sorrow does the butcher feel from a numerous flock?' The butcher, whose sole aim is slaughter and dismemberment, is never perturbed by the sight of a large flock; indeed, he is gladdened. Here, numerical abundance is not a threat but an opportunity. Why? Because the sheep, despite their vast numbers, lack 'inner unity.' Each is preoccupied with its own affairs, devoid of any collective will to resist. The butcher knows he is dealing with 'one' of them at a time, not with 'all' of them unified as one.

Then, Rumi introduces an even more astonishing example: 'What can a multitude of wakefulness achieve against sleep?' Imagine all conscious beings in the world, or any intelligent creature, being awake, forming an army of 'wakefulness' (hush) through sheer numbers. Can this vast army of wakefulness overcome 'sleep'? Undeniably not. A 'multitude of wakefulness,' no matter how immense, cannot prevent the onset of sleep or keep an individual awake. Sleep is a unified, irresistible natural force against which the quantity of 'wakefulness' is powerless. This example demonstrates that certain forces are so coherent and potent that mere outward quantity 'can achieve nothing' against them.

The lesson of this verse is clear: true power lies not in numbers and quantity, but in unity, coherence, and that 'inner gathering' (jamʿiyyat-e darūnī) which originates from a single source. 'The Lord of the Kingdom bestows unity.' This power is divine in nature, from the 'Master of the Kingdom,' who can make a single lion triumph over a hundred thousand wild asses, or endow Joseph with beauty and an allure like a rain-laden cloud (māʾ-e mazn). Thus, bodies and numbers, like names, are 'upon the wind' (bar bād) and without true foundation; what endures and is effective is the unified soul and the singular spirit.

Key takeaways

• High numbers and outward quantity alone do not signify power or effectiveness.
• True strength originates from inner unity and cohesion (unity within the soul), not merely from numerical abundance.
• A single, unified force (like sleep or a butcher) can overcome a fragmented multitude (like wakefulness or a flock).
• Rumi's understanding of power is intrinsically linked to its divine nature: genuine unity and authority are bestowed by the singular source (the Lord of the Kingdom).