M6:3585 — تا ز فرزند آب این چشمه شتاب / می‌رود سوی ریاض مام و باب

Translation: As long as the water of this spring swiftly flows from the child towards the gardens of the mother and father. Meaning: This verse speaks to the hidden, immaterial flow of life and joy from children to parents, portraying children as springs that nourish the garden of their parents' being.

This noble verse, to my mind, guides us toward a profound and often overlooked truth regarding the nourishment of souls. Rumi, without any doubt, seeks to tell us that sustenance and revitalization do not always assume a material and tangible form. We are accustomed to envisioning a morsel or a feast whenever food and strength are mentioned, yet this perspective, I believe, is nothing short of myopia.

I am convinced that Rumi here subtly alludes to the 'sustenance of Gabriel'; the very point he makes at the beginning of the third book of the Masnavi:

Gabriel’s strength was not from a kitchen; It was from beholding the Loving Creator. Gabriel, who with a single wing could overturn a city, from where did he eat? He drew strength from witnessing the divine beauty. Seeing, for him, was food. It is here that Rumi speaks of hidden pathways, of 'concealed qanats' (kārīz-hā-ye penhān), which convey the flow of life and joy through invisible channels to souls. This is not merely psychological nourishment; it is a 'beholding,' a 'union'—a vital current that quenches the thirst of souls.

This verse portrays the relationship between child and parent within this very spiritual context. The child is like a spring that delivers the water of life and freshness to the parents' garden of being. Rumi subtly plays with the word 'ʿayn', which in Arabic means both 'spring' and 'eye'. This act of seeing the child, the child's presence and flourishing, is itself the 'ʿayn', the flowing spring of vitality for the parents. As long as this spring is active, the 'gardens' (riyāż) of the mother and father remain fresh and green, drawing their continuous flow from the child's two 'ʿayn' (the child's eyes or the spring of their being).

Rumi, however, continues by stating that if this spring of the child becomes afflicted by illness or dries up, the parents' garden of being will also wither. This bond is not merely emotional; it is an ontological connection. Just as a date palm is irrigated through a hidden conduit, souls too are connected to one another through these hidden qanats and nourish each other. The heedless are trapped by outward causes, unaware of these hidden ways, but the Masnavi unveils these truths. This is a deeply profound point: how the spiritual vitality and freshness of one individual can be a spring for the life of another. In these words of Rumi, I perceive a profoundly deep message for understanding spiritual bonds and the invisible influences of souls upon each other.

Key takeaways

• The nourishment and revitalization of souls are not solely material; they occur through hidden spiritual channels.
• A child can serve as a vital spring, keeping the garden of their parents' being watered and fresh.
• Rumi employs the analogy of Gabriel's strength from 'beholding the Loving Creator' to explain immaterial sustenance.
• The verse alludes to hidden qanats (subterranean channels) and the deep connection between souls, independent of outward means.
• The drying up of the child's spring of life (their illness or lack of vitality) can lead to the withering of the parents' inner 'garden'.