M6:351 — که ای رخت تابان چون ماه شب‌فروز / وی به صحبت کاذب و مغرورسوز

Translation: O, whose countenance is radiant like the moon illuminating the night, And who, in companionship, is a liar and burns the deluded!

Meaning: This verse is spoken from the perspective of a moth, addressing the fire after being burned and deceived, describing its alluring yet destructive nature. It is a portrayal of the deceptive essence of worldly temptations and the scorching fate of those who succumb to them.

This verse, spoken from the perspective of a suffering moth, marks the pinnacle of its acknowledgment of the fire's true nature. From afar, the fire appears as a night-illuminating light, but up close, in its 'companionship' (sohbat), it offers nothing but deceit and burning. Here, Mawlana recounts the story of the moth and the flame, which serves as a profound allegory for humans caught in the spiritual journey, oscillating between repentance and forgetfulness (nisyān).

Despite being burned and fleeing, the moth returns repeatedly to the fire; sometimes out of nisyān, forgetting that fire burns, it is not light, and sometimes out of hirs (greed/desire), which compels it to re-experience that deceptive flame. This specific verse captures the moment when the moth, after countless bitter experiences of burning and fortunate escapes, finally awakens to the truth. It 'gives ten' (deh mī-dehad), meaning it utterly rejects and dismisses the fire.

The address, 'O, whose countenance is radiant like the moon illuminating the night,' refers to the fire's deceptive appearance, which, from a distance, illuminates the night like the moon, stirring the moth's desire. However, the second hemistich, 'But in companionship, is a liar and burns the deluded' (kāzib va maghrūr-sūz), uncovers its intrinsic truth without reservation. Kāzib means a liar, for what promises light and warmth is, in reality, scorching. And maghrūr-sūz means the burner of the deluded; those who, in their pride and deception, rush towards it and become its prey. Maghrūr here signifies someone who is fooled or beguiled.

This vacillation of the moth between attraction and repulsion, repentance and relapse, symbolizes the wandering of many seekers. With this story, Mawlana implies that to attain truth and distinguish light from fire, a single experience of regret is insufficient. Instead, one must be deceived, burned, return, forget, and be drawn again and again until, through a bitter and lasting lesson, the deceptive nature of the alluring object is fully comprehended, leading to its permanent rejection. Yet, the thought-provoking aspect is that even this hard-won awareness is often transient: 'Again, its repentance and groaning are forgotten / Verily, the Merciful weakens the stratagems of the liars.'

Key takeaways

• The fire's deceptive radiance and burning core symbolize the alluring yet destructive nature of worldly pleasures.
• The addressee of this verse is the fire, confronted by the moth at the peak of its delusion and subsequent regret.
• This verse captures the moth's moment of awakening, realizing the deceptive and destructive essence of the alluring force.
• The oscillation between repentance and forgetfulness, and the repeated return to deception, reflects the state of many spiritual seekers.
• The lesson: True recognition of truth often requires repeated bitter experiences and gradual awakening, not just a single encounter.