M4:49 — هم بر آن بو می‌تنند و می‌روند / هر دمی راجی و آیس می‌شوند

This couplet describes the universal psychological state of the seeker (ṭālib). Rumi generalizes from the specific lover in the story to anyone pursuing a goal, whether worldly or spiritual. He argues that God, or Reality, gives every seeker an initial, intoxicating taste of their object of desire—just as the lover in the story had one chance encounter with his beloved long ago. This single memory, this "scent" (bū), becomes the entire basis for their subsequent striving.

The spiritual path, Rumi suggests, is not one of steady progress. Rather, it is a volatile journey of weaving back and forth between two states. One moment, the memory of that first taste makes the seeker hopeful (rājī), certain they are close to their goal. The next moment, the continued absence of that experience plunges them into despair (āyis). This oscillation is the very engine of the quest; it is what keeps the seeker moving, preventing both complacency and complete surrender.