A Love Full of Ebbs and Flows: The Mystery of Existence
These passages distilled from Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī’s Dīvān-i Kabīr lay bare the complexity of love and divine affection. The verses that form the source are expressions of a quest and a longing; alongside the deep passion felt for the beloved, they are also nourished by the uncertainty of existence and the conflicts within the human inner world. The beloved at times appears as an unattainable ideal, at other times as a dream that slips away; this underscores the ebbs and flows inherent in the nature of love and the mystery that utterly removes the possibility of absolute union. The poet’s question, ‘Yesterday, to whom—hey, where are you?’ is more than a mere plea to the beloved; it points to the unknowns in humanity’s relationship with the universe.
From the Battle of the Nafs to the Ascension of Divine Love
In Mawlānā’s work, the inner battles of the human being are frequently addressed. The line, “Half of my body is at war with the other half,” symbolizes the conflict between the intellect and the nafs (the lower self; the aspect of the soul inclined to base desires), that is, the struggle of impulses pulling a person in different directions. This inner war is presented as a condition that can only be overcome through divine love; for love enables a person to transcend their own self, to abandon their ego, and to reach the ultimate truth. The poet’s statement, ‘Today I am intoxicated, I worship the madman,’ can be interpreted as an indication of this surrender—that is, the death of the ego and the turning toward divine love. In this process, the metaphor of wine is used to emphasize purification and relief; for the symbolic meaning of wine expresses the transition from worldly constraints to spiritual ascension.
Resurrection and Forgiveness through the Metaphor of Water
In Mawlānā’s poetry, water holds an important place as a symbol of purification and rebirth. The line, “Everything lives by water; water is the meze that descends to us from the sky,” expresses that the source of life and the fundamental element of creation is water. The abundance and generosity of water coincide with Mawlānā’s understanding of forgiveness; for the poet identifies Allah’s grace and mercy with water. The beloved’s union with water means their surrender to knowledge and purification from evil. This metaphor also represents the journey of a person toward inner cleanliness and spiritual maturity; for to wash with water means to erase sins and to be renewed.