M6:2999 — طعمه‌جوی و خاین و ظلمت‌پرست / از پنیر و فستق و دوشاب مست

Translation: A seeker of petty prey, treacherous, and a lover of darkness / Intoxicated by cheese, pistachios, and date syrup. Meaning: This verse vividly describes the base, animalistic nature of those consumed by ignoble desires and material pleasures, much like a mouse enchanted by simple foods, leading them to embrace darkness and treachery.

In this verse, Rumi, through an allegorical yet precise language, describes a base and ignoble nature (khuy) that can manifest itself even in human beings. This couplet is part of a broader discussion where Rumi differentiates between lofty, angelic attributes (like Gabriel's) and lower, animalistic ones (like a donkey's or a mouse's). His aim is not merely to describe the mouse, but to portray the "mouse-like character" in humans.

A person who is a "seeker of petty prey" (ṭuʿma-jūy) is constantly looking for small, insignificant gains from every situation, regardless of the consequences. Such a person is "treacherous" (khāyin), because loyalty and commitment fade in the face of trivial worldly benefits. Ultimately, they become a "lover of darkness" (ẓulmat-parast); they gravitate not just towards physical darkness, but towards the darkness of ignorance, heedlessness, and non-being, as these shadows provide a suitable environment to conceal their prey-seeking and treachery.

These three attributes—prey-seeking, treachery, and love of darkness—all stem from one source: being "intoxicated by cheese, pistachios, and date syrup" (az panīr-o fostaq-o dūshāb mast). Cheese, pistachios, and date syrup (dūshāb) here symbolize trivial pleasures and base material desires that intoxicate the human being, making them oblivious to their higher self. This is not the intoxication of wine, but the delirium of being immersed in petty ambitions that strips a person of insight and deviates them from the path of truth and honor. It is precisely like a mouse, which, upon seeing these foods, becomes oblivious to everything else and thinks only of acquiring them. This "intoxication" is what distances a human from "light-souledness" (sabuk-rūḥī) and Gabriel-like flight, dragging them down to the "trough" (ākhur).

Following this verse, Rumi introduces the example of the "noble falcon" (bāz-i ashhab), which confirms this very meaning. The noble falcon, a white and majestic raptor, symbolizes humans with the potential for high flight and spiritual knowledge. However, if this same noble falcon acquires the "nature of a mouse" (khuy-i mūsh) and becomes tainted by prey-seeking and darkness-loving, even mice would feel shame towards it. This illustrates the fall and degeneration awaiting a being that abandons its noble and original nature and becomes polluted by lower traits.

This transformation of character from noble to base is also clearly seen in the story of Harut and Marut, where angels descend to earth, acquire human traits (khuy), and commit sins. The specifics of that story or the extent of scholarly disagreement over it are secondary; the fundamental point for Rumi is that the disposition and essence of beings are changeable, and what causes downfall and debasement is turning towards base ambitions and worldliness, just like a mouse intoxicated and bewildered by cheese and pistachios.

Key takeaways

• The verse presents the mouse as a symbol for humans enslaved by base desires and material pleasures.
• Petty prey-seeking, treachery, and a love of darkness are traits stemming from intoxication by low-grade delights.
• Human character (and that of any being) can transform from noble to ignoble; this change leads to downfall and degradation.
• Immersion in worldly ambitions erodes insight and deviates one from the path of truth.
• Even noble beings, like the white falcon (bāz-i ashhab), will fall into ignobility if they adopt a mouse's nature.