M6:191 — جز به رمز ذکر حال دیگران / شرح حالت می‌نیارم در بیان

Translation: Except by way of symbolic mention of others' states, / I cannot bring my own state into explicit expression. Meaning: The poet states that to convey his true inner condition, he is compelled to speak in allegories and refer to the circumstances of others, thus concealing his direct meaning.

This verse is one of those declarations that lifts the veil from the mysterious and intricate nature of certain mystical utterances. Here, Mawlana explicitly states that he cannot express his inner state, his state of love, openly and without concealment. Why? The answer lies in the first half-verse: "Except by way of symbolic mention of others' states." But why is this symbolic expression necessary?

I have previously noted that Mawlana held a strong belief in the 'evil eye' (chashm-i bad) and envy. He himself, as chronicled in his biographies, was distressed by the 'soul-gnawing wounds' (zakhmhā-ye ruh-farsā) he had suffered from the evil eye. This concern drove him to avoid openly expressing his profound truths and subtle spiritual insights, especially those pertaining to Husam al-Din Chalabi. It is as if an explicit declaration of love and an admission of an inner truth could expose it to the harm of the 'venom-breathing evil eye' (chashm-i bad-i zahrā-dam). As he states: "Yet from the venom-breathing evil eye / I have suffered soul-gnawing wounds."

Moreover, this verse profoundly alludes to Husam al-Din's stature and role. Mawlana continues this discussion by telling Husam al-Din: "This excuse, too, is from the stratagem of a heart / whose feet are mired in mud because of him." The excuse I offer—this very act of speaking in symbols and concealing my words—is a stratagem I have learned from your heart. I am in love with you; my heart's feet are stuck in the mud of your love, and you have taught me to speak of my mention, my state, in symbols. This indicates the extent to which Mawlana regarded Husam al-Din not merely as a listener and scribe, but as a guide and master in the method of expressing truths, even drawing inspiration from him for his own mode of expression.

This symbolic and veiled discourse is not exclusive to divine saints and mystics. Mawlana extends its scope to the condition of ordinary people. He remarks that many individuals, even those living in diaspora who inwardly lean towards faith and piety, are ashamed to openly declare their religiosity and fear the 'evil eye' of their times. This is the 'rotten convention' (nāmus-i pusideh) that veils truth, preventing people from being and speaking as they truly are. This verse reflects a mystical strategy for preserving truth and the self from external harms, and simultaneously, it testifies to Husam al-Din's profound influence on Mawlana and his mode of expression.

Key takeaways

• Symbolic expression is a mystical strategy to protect sensitive inner truths.
• Mawlana resorted to enigmatic speech due to the 'evil eye' and the spiritual wounds inflicted by envy.
• Speaking of others' states serves as a pretext for the mystic to describe his own condition.
• Mawlana even learned his method of symbolic expression from Husam al-Din Chalabi's 'heart,' signifying Husam's profound influence.
• Many individuals, in both mystical and contemporary societies, refrain from openly expressing their deep beliefs due to social pressures.
• True courage lies in standing firm in one's convictions against 'rotten conventions' and societal scorn.