In every corner of existence, I sought the Beloved, sometimes visible, sometimes hidden, a divine presence that transcends form. In moments of possibility and necessity, in the fleeting and the eternal, I found traces of that infinite love. The Beloved’s desire was to see itself through my eyes, shaping me in countless ways, reflecting in every creation. Like a flower blooming in joy or a nightingale singing in ecstasy, the Beloved revealed itself in myriad forms. As a flame and a moth, it consumed itself in its own radiance. In the cry of truth, it faced trials, yet remained beyond all duality, both king and beggar, ascetic and reveller. In the guise of the lover, it bore a burning heart, a soul aflame with devotion. The Beloved is all and nothing, the essence of every face, every longing, and every divine mystery.
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Divine love is the essence of existence, a force that transcends the boundaries of the material world and ignites the soul with an unquenchable longing. It is the fire that burns within the hearts of poets and mystics, driving them to seek union with the Beloved, the source of all beauty and truth. Persian poets like Rumi have immortalized this sacred pursuit, capturing the depth of a love so profound that it demands the sacrifice of the self. To love divinely is to die to the ego, to shed the layers of worldly desire, and to emerge purified, like gold refined in the furnace of devotion.
This love is not gentle; it is a fierce, all-consuming force that tears apart the fabric of the ordinary, leaving the soul exposed and vulnerable. Yet, in this vulnerability lies its greatest strength. The poet burns because the Beloved is both the flame and the moth, the lover and the beloved, the seeker and the sought. Through this paradox, the soul finds liberation, transcending the limitations of time and space to merge with the infinite.
Couplet 1:
هر لحظه به شکلی بت عیار بر آمد
دل برد و نهان شد
“Every moment, the cunning beloved appears in a new form,
Steals the heart, and then vanishes.”
Like a mirage, the Beloved shifts and shimmers, each form more alluring than the last. A single glance sparks an insatiable longing. They materialize without warning, fade just as quickly, and reappear, a dazzling array of charm. This constant play of presence and absence kindles an eternal thirst. Their ever-changing face, a source of endless wonder, draws one deeper into the search for their true nature. The Beloved’s elusive spirit transforms love’s pursuit into a thrilling, boundless odyssey.
Couplet 2:
بمیرید بمیرید در این عشق بمیرید
در این عشق چو مردید همه روح پذیرید
“Die, die in this love, and die.
Once you die in this love, you will attain the soul.”
Love demands total surrender, a death of the self to awaken within the divine. This is not annihilation, but a rebirth, shedding ego to embrace eternity. Only an empty heart, filled solely with love, can hold the essence of truth. The seeker’s path is one of dissolution, merging with love’s infinite light. In this surrender, the soul finds its true home, transcending the material for divine unity.
Couplet 3:
در دل و جان خانه کردی عاقبت
هر دو را دیوانه کردی عاقبت
“In the heart and soul, you made your home at last,
Both of them, you drove mad at last.”
In the depths of the heart and the essence of the soul, you have made your eternal dwelling, a sanctuary where the finite meets the infinite. Your presence, like a divine flame, consumes all reason, leaving behind a sacred madness—a state where love transcends logic and becomes the only truth. The heart, once a vessel of fleeting desires, now burns with an unquenchable fire, and the soul, once bound by the chains of the mundane, soars freely in the boundless skies of devotion. In this union, both are transformed, lost and found, shattered and whole, forever intoxicated by the ecstasy of your love.
Couplet 4:
هر که را جامه ز عشقی چاک شد
او ز حرص و عیب کلّی پاک شد
“Whoever’s garment is torn by love,
Is purified entirely from greed and fault.”
In the realm of divine love, the heart that is torn apart by the intensity of passion is purified, freed from the shackles of greed and flaw. Love, in its purest form, strips away the layers of worldly desire, leaving the soul bare and unburdened. It is in this vulnerability that one finds true liberation, a state where imperfections dissolve, and the essence of being is laid bare. Divine love is not a gentle caress but a fierce force that rends the fabric of the self, revealing the luminous core within. Through this sacred rupture, the soul ascends, untainted and whole, into the embrace of the eternal.
Couplet 5:
ز همه خلق رمیدم ز همه بازرهیدم
نه نهانم نه پدیدم چه کنم کون و مکان را
“From all people I fled, from all I escaped,
I am neither hidden nor revealed—what can I do with the realm of existence and space?”
In the pursuit of divine love, the soul flees from the noise of the world, escaping the grasp of all that binds it. It seeks a state beyond concealment and revelation, where the self dissolves into the infinite. In this sacred union, the constructs of time and space lose their meaning, for the lover exists in a realm untouched by the limitations of the material universe. Here, there is no need for hiding or appearing, no concern for the boundaries of existence. The soul, liberated and boundless, merges with the eternal, finding its true home in the embrace of the divine.
Couplet 6:
من غلام قمرم، غیر قمر هیچ مگو
پیش من جز سخن شمع و شکر هیچ مگو
“I am a servant of the moon; speak of nothing but the moon,
Before me, say nothing but words of the candle and sugar.”
In the realm of divine love, the heart surrenders completely, becoming a devoted servant to the radiant beloved, symbolized by the moon. It seeks only the purity of that light, rejecting all else that distracts from its luminous truth. Words spoken must carry the sweetness of sugar and the warmth of a candle’s glow, for only such words reflect the essence of this sacred connection. Here, the soul finds its purpose in adoration, turning away from the mundane and the trivial. In this devotion, there is no room for anything but the beauty, light, and sweetness that the beloved embodies.
Couplet 7:
سخن رنج مگو، جز سخن گنج مگو
ور از این بی‌خبری رنج مبر، هیچ مگو
“Speak not of pain, speak only of treasure.
If you are unaware of this, bear no pain—say nothing at all.”
In the journey of divine love, the soul seeks only the treasures of the heart, turning away from the language of pain and sorrow. It is a path where words must carry the weight of gold, illuminating the richness of connection and the beauty of existence. To speak of suffering is to stray from the essence of this sacred bond. If one cannot understand this truth, it is better to remain silent, for silence preserves the sanctity of the journey. Divine love thrives in the light of joy and abundance, and only those who embrace its treasures can truly walk its path.
Divine love is the eternal thread that weaves through the fabric of existence, a force that transcends time, space, and form. It is the silent whisper in the heart of the seeker, the radiant light that illuminates the path of the soul. In its presence, the finite dissolves into the infinite, and the self is reborn in the flames of devotion. This love is not bound by the constraints of the material world; it is a boundless ocean, a sacred fire that purifies and transforms. To know divine love is to surrender completely, to die to the ego and awaken to the eternal. It is a journey of longing and fulfilment, where every moment is a revelation, and every breath a prayer. In the end, divine love is the essence of all that is, the source of all beauty, and the ultimate truth that unites all beings in its infinite embrace.
To be continued…
Suhaib Nadvi
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Source: These couplets are from his ‘Masnavi-ye Ma’navi’ (Spiritual Couplets) and ‘Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi’.
