M2:269 — ذکر با او همچو سبزهٔ گلخنست / بر سر مبرز گلست و سوسنست

This couplet is part of a larger section where Rumi distinguishes between outward religious observance and true inner faith. He has just described the hypocrite (منافق) who applies musk (a symbol of outward piety or good reputation) to their body, while their soul is mired in the 'furnace' (گلخن) of inner filth. The 'furnace' here refers to the part of a bathhouse that houses the fire, often a dirty, sooty place, and by extension, a latrine or privy due to its association with waste.

The beyt then uses a vivid, somewhat shocking image: the 'remembrance of God' (ذکر) on the hypocrite's tongue is compared to 'green growth' (سبزه) or 'roses and jasmine' (گل و سوسن) appearing on the 'head of a privy' (سر مبرز). This imagery powerfully conveys the idea of something pure and beautiful being utterly out of place and defiled by its context. The external act of speaking God's name, which should be a fragrant and purifying act, becomes corrupted because the inner intention and spiritual state (the 'privy') are impure. It highlights the disjunction between appearance and reality, a central theme in Sufi thought regarding sincerity (اخلاص). The subsequent beyt (M2:270) clarifies that such 'growth' is merely 'borrowed' (عاریتست) and its true place is in a 'gathering of joy' (مجلس و عشرت), not a place of impurity, further emphasizing the unnaturalness and inauthenticity of the hypocrite's devotion.