Here, Rumi gives glad-tidings of the advent of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh, who come together.
If the soul of the lover breathes even once,
it will set this world ablaze;
and this rootless world
it will scatter like dust-motes, torn apart.
Here, “if the soul of the lover breathes” refers to the appearance of the divine Manifestations, whose very advent ignites transformation in the world.
And “this rootless world” signifies the superstitions, blind traditions, and جاهلیه (ignorant prejudices) that prevail at the time of a new revelation—structures without true foundation, which are scattered and overturned when divine truth appears.
In other words, the advent of the Manifestations shatters inherited falsehoods and awakens the world to a new spiritual reality, just as Rumi repeatedly describes in symbolic and cosmic language.
The whole world becomes an ocean;
the ocean itself dissolves from awe.
Not a person nor ordinary humanity remains;
only those united with Adam (the living reality of the Messenger of God) are truly alive.
The majesty of the Revelation transforms the world entirely. Even if the whole world were to become an ocean, before Him it is reduced to nothingness. No human being remains, except the followers of the Adam—that is, the followers of the new Manifestation of God.
Smoke rises up from the heavens—
neither creature remains nor angel;
from that smoke, suddenly a fire strikes
the highest dome of heaven.
A calamity descends from heaven that envelops both the common people and the rulers; yet it becomes the cause of the world’s illumination.
As the Qur’an states:
“On the Day when the heaven brings forth a manifest smoke,
which will envelop the people—this is a painful chastisement.”
— Qur’an, Surah ad-Dukhān (44:10–11)
In that moment the heavens are torn asunder—
neither existence remains nor space;
an upheaval falls upon the world,
and this trumpet-blast sounds over mourning.
One of the names of God is Fāṭir al-samāwāt (the Splitter of the heavens). Here, “the heavens” signify the divine religions. On the Promised Day, God rends the heaven of the former religion and unfolds a new heaven—ushering in a new dispensation and spiritual order.
At times fire consumes water,
at times water devours fire;
at times the wave of the Sea of Non-Being
strikes both the white steed and the black.
This line alludes to the events of that Day, when the wave of the Sea of Non-Being (heaven) strikes both the gray and the black alike. In other words, neither outward color, claim, nor affiliation will matter—all appearances are swept away. What alone will be accepted is pure action (ʿamal-e pāk), sincere and free from hypocrisy.
The sun is diminished before the light of the human soul;
ask little of the uninitiated—where intimacy speaks, it speaks sparingly.
Mars abandons its fierceness; Jupiter’s ledger is burned;
the Moon retains no mastery—its joy overcomes sorrow.
Mercury sinks into mire; fire stumbles into Saturn;
Venus no longer has the bravery
to strike the Pardeh-ye Khorram, the melody of joy.
One of the signs of the Day of Resurrection—understood here as the advent of a new Prophet—is that the sun is darkened, and the moon and stars (which receive their light from the sun)—symbolizing the religious scholars of the former dispensation—fall to the earth.
As stated in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 24, verse 29:
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from heaven,
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
And in the Qur’an:
“When the stars are obliterated.”
(Surah al-Mursalāt 77:8)
Interpretive note:
In this reading, the sun represents the former divine revelation, while the moon and stars symbolize those who derived authority and light from it. At the time of a new Manifestation, their borrowed light fades, established hierarchies are shaken, and a new spiritual sun rises, inaugurating a renewed religious order.
No bow remains, no rainbow;
no wine remains, no cup;
no revelry remains, no delight—
no wound strikes even its balm.
No water paints, no wind spreads carpets;
no garden brings gladness,
no cloud of spring sends its rain.
No pain remains, no cure;
no foe remains, no witness;
no reed remains, no melody,
no harp strikes high or low.
These verses describe the total dissolution of dualities at the moment of divine manifestation. Instruments and causes—joy and sorrow, pain and remedy, nature and art—lose their functions. All secondary means fall silent, because the Source itself is present. In such a moment, mediation ends: neither wound nor balm, neither music nor instrument, remains—only the Absolute Reality prevails, and all relative distinctions vanish.
All causes are subsumed in what endures;
the Cupbearer becomes His own cupbearer.
The soul proclaims “My Lord, the Most High,”
the heart proclaims “My Lord, the All-Knowing.”
After these upheavals, two Manifestations appear. The first is the Báb—the Gate (Báb)—who announces and gives glad-tidings of another Messenger like Himself. This is expressed in the line “the Cupbearer becomes His own cupbearer,” meaning that the Revealer both gives and points beyond Himself to the next outpouring of divine wine.
The two divine Names invoked reflect these twin appearances:
Rabb al-A‘lā (the Most High) — associated with the first appearance, the Gate who opens the way.
Rabb al-A‘lam (the All-Knowing) — associated with the second appearance, Bahá’u’lláh, who brings the fuller disclosure.
Thus the verse presents a progressive revelation: one Manifestation heralds another, and together they complete a single, continuous act of divine unveiling.
See how the Eternal Painter enters the act once more,
so that peerless designs may be inscribed upon the Teacher’s robe.
Truth has kindled a fire, so that all falsehood is burned away;
the fire sears the heart, striking at the heart of that whole world.
The Sun of Truth—its heart the East,
an East whose lightning flashes at every moment—
leaps upon the dark-clad scion
and then strikes Jesus, son of Mary.
Here Rumi gives glad-tidings of two successive divine appearances.
The phrase “the dark-clad scion (pūreh-ye adham)” refers to the Qa’im, a descendant (pūreh: offspring/grandson) associated with black (adham), alluding to the black banner historically linked with the lineage of the Prophet Muhammad. This symbolizes a descendant of Muhammad who arises first.
After the appearance of the Qa’im, Jesus, son of Mary (Jesus) is said to appear—signifying the subsequent manifestation that completes the promised sequence. The “Sun of Truth” striking first the dark-clad scion and then Jesus indicates progressive revelation: one appearance prepares the way for the next, as divine light advances from dawn to full day.
In sum, these verses portray a renewal of revelation: falsehood is consumed, hearts are purified, and two promised figures appear in order, inaugurating a new spiritual era.