M6:979 — عشق بینایان بود بر کان زر / لاجرم هر روز باشد بیشتر

Translation: The love of those with insight is for the mine of gold; inevitably, it grows more each day. Meaning: This verse asserts that the love of the truly discerning is directed towards the essence and source of beauty, rather than its fleeting, outward manifestations. Consequently, such a love never diminishes but perpetually deepens and expands.

This verse, in my estimation, unveils one of Mawlana's profound teachings on reality versus illusion, and the crucial distinction between genuine and metaphorical love. I contend that Mawlana here alludes to a 'principle of the conservation of beauty,' a concept echoed in various forms by ancient thinkers. Just as they posited that light does not perish but returns to its source after illumination, so too does beauty possess an origin to which all transient beauty returns upon the decay of its forms.

Mawlana draws a stark contrast between 'gold-plated beauty' (ḥusn-i zarr-andūd) and the 'mine of gold' (kān-i zarr). Gold-plated beauty is superficial, a mere veneer of gold over another metal. Its outward appearance may shine, but its interior is smoke. When this gilded layer peels away, the underlying ugliness is revealed, and 'metaphorical love' (ʿishq-i majāzī), which was enamored by this exterior, inevitably cools and fades. For instance, if one's love is based solely on physical attractiveness, that love will diminish as beauty succumbs to time.

However, the 'mine of gold' represents the essence itself – the unmediated, inexhaustible source of beauty. The love of the insightful (bīnāyān) is directed towards this veritable mine, not towards temporary, gilded manifestations. Mawlana offers vivid analogies: the moonlight falling upon a dark wall illuminates it, but when the moon's light recedes to its source, the wall's darkness reappears, becoming 'devil-like' (dīvwār). Similarly, a counterfeit coin, once gilded, is exposed as base metal when the gold flakes off and returns to its mine, leaving both the coin and its lover shamed.

This is a profound lesson in discerning authenticity from imitation, and the permanent from the transient. Every attribute we perceive in this world – from our very existence to our physical beauty – is but a loan or an ephemeral gift. Mawlana elsewhere states: 'The body boasts of its grace and charm / While the soul conceals its glory and wings.' The soul tells the body: 'You lived by my radiance; let me depart, and you will see that he who once adored your beauty will now hold his nose against your stench.' These teachings underscore that true, eternal beauty returns to its origin, leaving behind only putrefying husks. Therefore, the true lover must be devoted to that 'mine of gold' which has 'no partner or peer' and whose existence is beyond doubt. This love grows stronger each day, precisely because it is connected to a source that is eternal and infinite, never diminishing. This, as Mawlana terms it, is 'divine love' (ʿishq-i rabbānī), the very essence of light, before which all creation appears as mere shadows.

Key takeaways

• The love of the insightful is directed towards the essence and core of things (the mine of gold), not towards deceptive and transient appearances (gold-plated beauty).
• Mawlana implicitly refers to a 'principle of the conservation of beauty': fleeting beauties decay and return to their ultimate source, leaving behind only putrefaction and disgrace.
• Metaphorical love (ʿishq-i majāzī), bound to transient forms, withers and disappears as those forms fade.
• True love (ʿishq-i ḥaqīqī), connected to the eternal and inexhaustible source of beauty, grows deeper and stronger each day, never diminishing.
• The analogy of moonlight on a wall (metaphorical love) versus the moon's light returning to the moon (true love) highlights the ephemeral nature of the accidental versus the eternal nature of the essential source.
• This verse is an invitation to transcend forms and reach for truths, connecting one's heart to the eternal.