M6:3312 — چند هم‌چون فاخته کاشانه‌جو / کو و کو و کو و کو و کو و کو

Translation: How much, like a home-seeking dove, you cry 'where?' and 'where?' and 'where?' and 'where?' and 'where?' and 'where?'

Meaning: This verse likens the listener (and implicitly, every human) to a dove crying "where?" in search of its nest, but Mawlana reorients this seemingly simple question towards a deeper quest for truth and the ultimate Source of existence.

This verse follows Mawlana's dialogue with the 'debtor' (vāmdār), who plaintively asks, "Where is your ruby-like wisdom? Where are your sweet answers and secrets?" In essence, the debtor seeks Mawlana himself, and the profound wisdom and grace he once displayed. But Mawlana, with this verse, redirects the question of "where?" from his own person to the true, ultimate abode.

I contend that Mawlana here first depicts the state of the superficial inquirer: one who, like a dove, incessantly cries "koo koo" (where, where). In Persian culture, the dove is a symbol of a bird whose distinct call seems to perpetually search for something lost or a home. We see this image in Khayyam's poetry, where a dove perches on castle ramparts, asking, "where, where, where, where?" Khayyam's dove inquires about the vanished kings and their lost glory.

However, Mawlana elevates this 'koo' beyond a mere material or superficial level. He implies that this constant cry of 'koo koo,' though ostensibly a search for a particular person or an earthly dwelling, is in truth the innate call of the soul to reclaim its 'origin' (asl). This is the very source to which the soul was connected before being 'cut from the reed-bed' (neyestān), and which it ceaselessly seeks in the estrangement of this world.

I firmly believe that Mawlana, in this verse, narrates a 'story' (hekāyat), not a 'complaint' (shekāyat). He views the human 'koo koo' not as a lament over the current state, but as a narrative of the soul's evolutionary journey and its fervent desire to return to its genesis. The home-seeking dove is not merely looking for a lost house; it seeks 'that abode' which Mawlana immediately points to in the subsequent verses: "That is where the attributes of Mercy reside, / Power and Purity and Sagacity."

Thus, with his characteristic subtlety, Mawlana guides the question, "Where is that treasure-chest of your wisdom?" towards, "Where is that wellspring from which both you and your treasure of wisdom have flowed?" He demonstrates that every quest, every desire, and every hope, even when seemingly directed towards another, ultimately returns to 'Him.' This 'koo koo' is, in the final analysis, the sound of 'Allah, Allah,' but in a language that only the inner ear can discern. The search for home is, in fact, the search for the Divine essence, which is the only true sanctuary and dwelling place of souls. This is of the nature of 'separation' (jodāyī), not 'loneliness' (tanhāyī); for seeking always presupposes the existence of a lost entity, and does not arise from nothingness.

Key takeaways

• The dove's 'koo koo' symbolizes the soul's perpetual search for its true origin and source.
• Mawlana redirects the question 'where?' from a personal or material quest to the pursuit of the Divine essence and His attributes of mercy.
• This quest is a 'narration' (hekāyat) of human nature, not a 'complaint' (shekāyat) about the current state.
• The home-seeking dove embodies every being's yearning to return to its primordial 'reed-bed' (neyestān).