M1:1783 — ناخوش او خوش بود در جان من / جان فدای یار دل‌رنجان من

This couplet expresses a profound paradox central to Sufi love: the lover finds joy even in the pain inflicted by the Beloved. In the preceding verses, Rumi describes the 'jealousy' (ghayrat) of God, which prevents anyone from preferring anything else once they have seen the Divine Face. This intense, possessive love of the Divine is mirrored in the human lover's devotion. The poet laments, but his lament is not one of true complaint; rather, it's a song of longing that the Beloved cherishes. The 'unpleasantness' (nākhosh) and 'heart-wounding' (del-ranjān) are not actual grievances but rather manifestations of the Beloved's overwhelming presence, which, even in its severity, is preferable to anything else. The lover's soul embraces this pain, seeing it as a sign of the Beloved's attention, and willingly offers its life in devotion. This is not masochism, but a transcendence of ordinary dualities, where the lover's will is utterly subsumed by the Beloved's, finding sweetness in whatever state the Beloved ordains.