M6:2385 — پر گشاید هر دمی با اشک و آه / لیک پریدن ندارد روی و راه

Translation: At every moment, it spreads its wings with tears and sighs, Yet it has no face or way to fly. Meaning: This verse expresses the soul's profound and ardent longing for liberation and return to its origin, but within the cage of the body and the material world, this flight remains impossible.

This verse is one of those profound expressions where Rumi masterfully paints the condition of the imprisoned soul. The birds of the soul, though seemingly together and sharing a meal in this cage of the body and this earthly caravanserai, each harbor an inner yearning for a specific destination and their own kind. These 'tears and sighs' that dampen the soul's wings at every moment are not a complaint about the world's treachery or the harshness of fate; rather, they are the manifestation of that 'longing for return' (shawq-i maʿād) that springs from the very essence of every being. This is the deep, fundamental motivation that compels a human to remember their true origin.

Rumi clearly shows in this verse that flight and liberation, though an unending and perpetual aspiration of the soul, with its wings ready to unfurl, cannot physically materialize until 'the way' is opened and 'the bond' is severed. The wings are spread, but there is 'no face or way' (rūy-o rāh) to take off from this temporary prison. This inability stems not from despair, but from an understanding of the reality of existence in this world. The soul is captive in a cage that the 'king intellect' (shāh-i khirad) must break for its birds to spread their wings towards their ultimate destination.

This is where the distinction between 'separation' (judāyī) and 'loneliness' (tanhāyī) becomes clear. The soul has fallen into 'separation,' and from this separation, it gives forth 'tears and sighs,' but it is never 'alone.' For it knows there is a destination, a return (maʿād), and an origin from which it was severed and to which it is destined to return. These tears and sighs are themselves a sign of that hidden connection. The soul yearns to fly because it knows its destination and origin. This yearning for flight is the path itself, determining the ultimate fate; as Rumi says: 'O brother, you are entirely aspiration / the rest is mere bone and root,' and what he means by 'aspiration' (andīshe) here is motivation (angīze) and ideal. So, 'tears and sighs' here are not a sign of weakness, but a sign of inner fervor and readiness for a flight not yet realized.

Key takeaways

• "Tears and sighs" signify the yearning to return to one's origin, not despair.
• The soul remains in the body's cage but constantly spreads its wings, desiring flight.
• This world is a caravanserai temporarily gathering souls from diverse origins.
• True flight is only possible after breaking the bonds of the material world.
• Awareness of the ultimate destination (maʿād) gives direction and meaning to 'tears and sighs'.
• This separation (judāyī) implies distance from an ever-present Beloved, not 'loneliness' (tanhāyī) or absence of the Beloved.