M6:3322 — نه هزارم وام و من بی دست‌رس / هست صد دینار ازین توزیع و بس

Translation: Not a thousand debts, and I am helpless; / Only a hundred dinars from this collection, that is all. Meaning: The desperate debtor laments to himself that despite his vast liabilities and his own inability, merely a paltry sum of a hundred dinars has been gathered from the fundraising effort.

This verse is spoken by the desperate debtor in the story, who, standing by the grave of the deceased muhtasib (inspector), articulates his utter helplessness. He had placed his hopes in his guarantor, who was to collect money from people—what Rumi calls "distribution" (tawzīʿ), a concept we might liken to modern "fundraising." Yet, as he recounts here, the entire effort to relieve his colossal debts has yielded only a meager hundred dinars. He, a "helpless" (bī-dast-ras) individual, faces thousands of dinars in liabilities. This verse paints a vivid picture of the debtor's profound despair; he who sought a lifeline is confronted with the harsh reality of this trifling aid. In this internal struggle, he feels "torn to pieces." Rumi, through this beyt, not only describes a material predicament but also portrays the psychological state of someone burdened by weighty expectations and grim realities. This moment of utter despondency, however, serves as a prelude to the debtor's internal transformation, which will unfold in subsequent verses, as he shifts his gaze from superficial means to the true source of grace.

Key takeaways

• Peak of Material Despair: The verse illustrates the debtor's dire situation, with thousands in debt against a mere hundred dinars collected.
• Human Helplessness: The phrase "I am helpless" highlights human impotence when faced with overwhelming problems.
• Prelude to Spiritual Transformation: This deep despair sets the stage for the debtor's spiritual awakening and turn towards the true source of aid in later verses.
• Inner Conflict: The debtor experiences profound internal turmoil, feeling "torn to pieces" by the vastness of his debt and the inadequacy of the assistance.