M1:3476 — چینیان گفتند ما نقاش‌تر / رومیان گفتند ما را کر و فر

这句诗开启了鲁米一则著名的寓言：中邦人与罗马人（Rūmīyān，此处指拜占庭或古希腊人）在一座宫殿里进行绘画比赛。他们各分得一间对门厅室，以展示技艺。这句诗是双方最初的宣言。

中邦人代表的是一种依赖于外在形式、色彩与繁复技巧的知识与艺术形式。他们宣称自己“画艺更高超”（naqqāsh-tar），这是一种基于经验世界、感官知觉和多向度的知识积累。在故事的后续，他们向苏丹索要百般颜料，精心绘制壁画。

与此相对，罗马人代表的是苏非主义（Sufism）所推崇的内省之道。他们不夸耀具体的“技艺”，而是宣称拥有“威仪与荣光”（karr u farr）。这个词组暗示了一种源自内在状态的尊严与力量，而非外在的装饰。他们接下来的行动印证了这一点：他们不索要颜料，而是埋头打磨墙壁，直至其光洁如镜。他们的“艺术”在于净化，而非增添。

因此，这句诗不仅仅是比赛的开场白，更是两种知识论与精神路径的对立呈现：一种是向外求索、描摹万象之学；另一种是向内探寻、涤荡心镜以映照真实之学。鲁米借此寓言，阐明苏非修行的核心——真正的知见并非来自知识的堆砌，而是源于心灵的净化与澄澈。

This couplet opens a famous parable in the Masnavi about two rival groups of artists, the Chinese and the Romans (representing the Byzantines), who compete to decorate a room for a king. The story is an allegory for two different approaches to spiritual knowledge.

The Chinese represent the exoteric path of knowledge, which relies on acquiring forms, colors, and sensory data—adding layers of learning and imagery to the soul. They are masters of naqsh (form, painting). Their claim, “We are the better painters,” is a claim to mastery over the world of appearances and acquired arts.

The Romans, in contrast, represent the esoteric, mystical path of the Sufis. Their claim to karr u farr (pomp and splendor, glory) is not about what they can add, but about an essential, inherent brilliance they can reveal. As the story unfolds, they do not paint at all; instead, they polish the walls of their room until they become a perfect, spotless mirror. Their art is one of purification and unveiling, not of addition and decoration. This opening beyt sets up the central tension between knowledge gained through the senses (the Chinese) and knowledge gained by polishing the heart (the Romans).