M6:4616 — این مباحث تا بدین‌جا گفتنیست / هرچه آید زین سپس بنهفتنیست

Translation: These discourses are expressible up to this point; Whatever comes from here on must be concealed. Meaning: In this verse, Mawlana states that he has been able to articulate divine wisdom thus far, but from this point onward, truths will emerge that transcend words and must therefore remain hidden.

This couplet, appearing in the final book of the Mathnawi, is undoubtedly one of Mawlana's direct allusions to the approaching end of his life and the conclusion of his poetic work. I observe that in Book Six, Mawlana's narrative power shows signs of waning; it does not possess the same vigor of imagery, imagination, or expressive creativity as the earlier books. This can be attributed to the effects of old age and physical frailty, or perhaps to a certain distraction of heart. More significantly, this particular book, more than any other, 'smells of death.' It is as if Mawlana sensed that his life was nearing its end. He speaks of departure, of annihilation, of melting into the sun, and of the cessation of struggles and conflicts. It is here that the veil is lifted, and Mawlana declares, 'I became naked from the body, He from imagination; I move gracefully towards the ultimates of union.' This beyt resonates within the same context: narratives are conveyable up to this point, but what comes hereafter must remain hidden. This points to a stage where language is no longer capable of articulation, a point where one stands at the threshold of union and annihilation. As I have said before, on his deathbed, when Sadruddin Qunawi visited Mawlana and offered the prayer 'May God heal you,' Mawlana replied, 'Only one shirt remains between me and the Beloved. I will soon take off this shirt too.' This precisely conveys the meaning implied by 'must be concealed'; there are truths that lie beyond the realm of words and even imagination, understandable only through the directness of union. Mawlana, through these verses and especially with 'Until the sea, your journey is by horse and saddle / After that, your conveyance will be of wood,' indicates that he was inhaling the fragrance of annihilation and hearing the scent of union. Death has always been a central theme and concern for Mawlana, permeating the entire Mathnawi. He is a mystic deeply contemplative of death; how can any serious thinker not contemplate death? Those who do not are unaware of their own existence, their being having not yet reached maturity and ripeness. These verses, far from being a complaint about death, are an expression of readiness to enter a stage beyond words.

Key takeaways

• This couplet reflects Mawlana's sense of his life's end and the limits of language in expressing ultimate truths.
• Book Six of the Mathnawi, more than others, 'smells of death' and annihilation, speaking of transition to a realm beyond the perceptible world.
• Mawlana believes that ultimate truths and complete union transcend the realm of speech and imagination, hence they must be concealed.
• The anecdote of Mawlana and Sadruddin Qunawi on his deathbed supports the idea that union is possible only by shedding the bodily garment.
• The 'wooden vehicle' is a metaphor for the soul's journey after liberation from the body, where material conveyances are no longer effective.
• For Mawlana, death is not an end but a threshold to union and existential maturity; he is a 'death-contemplating' mystic.