M6:2248 — چارچوب خشت‌زن تا خاک هست / می‌دهد تقطیع شعرش نیز دست

Translation: Like the brick-maker's mold is ready as long as clay exists, so too his poetry's rhythm and meter (taqṭīʿ) also yield and are at hand. Meaning: This verse speaks to the pliancy and readiness of Mowlana's poetic structure, which, like a brick-maker's frame, adapts itself to the essence of inspiration and meaning.

This verse directly follows Mowlana's declaration in the preceding couplet (M6:2247) where he states: Ātash-in ast in nishān, kūteh konam / Bar faqīr o ganj o ahwālash zanam (This is the sign of fire, I shall shorten it / I shall turn to the poor man, his treasure, and his states). He decides to curtail his current discourse and return to the tale of the poor man and the treasure. Now, in M6:2248, he states that his poetry's taqṭīʿ (meter and rhythm) also dast mī-dehad – it is available, flexible, and yields. This is an explicit comment on the unique nature of his Masnavi's composition.

I have often stressed that Mowlana is not an artisan of words, but a 'natural poet.' While Hafez's verses are the product of continuous refinement and carving, the Masnavi is the boundless, uncalculating outpouring of Mowlana's spirit. From my perspective, this verse is Mowlana's admission of the flexibility and pliability of his poetic form in the face of the torrent of meanings. The meter and rhythm, rather than being an obstacle to inspiration, harmonize with its surge. The brick-maker's mold functions as long as there is clay; meaning, the form is significant only as long as there is substance and content. The form serves the substance, not dominates it.

In other words, taqṭīʿ and meter are tools Mowlana employs to articulate his rūḥ-e mawwāj (surging spirit). This surge, which I have called an 'ocean of profound knowledge,' is not something that can be contained within pre-fabricated, rigid forms. Rather, the form must yield to it, like water taking the shape of its container. This stands in stark contrast to the mentality of a poet whose primary concern is the form and embellishment of language. Mowlana takes up these forms and, with their aid, speaks of his ātash-e jān (fire of the soul), but he is never enslaved by them. This fire of the soul is so intensely ablaze that it burns even thought and intellect, tolerating no form unless that form itself surrenders to it.

Key takeaways

• Mowlana's poetic form is flexible, adapting itself to the flow of inspiration.
• Mowlana is not an artisan of words, but a 'natural poet' whose verses are an outpouring of his spirit.
• The analogy to the 'brick-maker's mold' illustrates that form serves content, not dominates it.
• Meter and rhythm are tools for expressing Mowlana's 'surging spirit,' not a constraint upon it.
• This verse emphasizes the 'natural' and 'un-crafted' nature of the Masnavi, in contrast to polished poetry like Hafez's.