In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the fable of the lion and the beasts reaches its climax when the hare leads the arrogant king to a well, claiming a rival lion resides there. Looking into the water, the lion sees his own reflection holding the hare and, mistaking it for his enemy, leaps in to attack. He drowns in the very well he intended for his foe. Rumi elevates this narrative into a profound psychological and spiritual metaphor: the perceived enemy in the well is merely a reflection of the lion's own aggression, injustice, and unchecked ego. Rumi teaches that the flaws and injustices we violently condemn in others are often projections of our own lower nature. By blindly attacking the mirror of the world, we ultimately destroy ourselves, as the lion fell victim to the trap of his own disposition.

The Lion's Demise and the Metaphor of the Reflection in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, after the lion is swayed by the hare's fabricated story, the seemingly weak hare guides the mighty beast toward a well. Rumi highlights the paradox of this scene—comparing the hare's cunning to a straw sweeping away a mountain, or a mosquito splitting Nimrod's skull—to demonstrate how the seemingly insignificant can overcome the arrogant. Rumi then expands this narrative into a profound warning about spiritual deception and the limits of perception. He explains that when divine decree (*qaza*) descends, it induces a state of 'intoxication' that fundamentally distorts one's senses. In this spiritually blind state, a person is bound to the superficial 'outer skin' of reality, becoming unable to distinguish friend from foe, or deadly poison from sweet sugar. The lion's arrogant failure to recognize the hare's fatal trap serves as a powerful allegory for this divine blinding, illustrating that without humble supplication to God, even the strongest intellect can be led to destruction.

The Hare's Trap and the Metaphor of Divine Intoxication in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's Masnavi, as the hare leads the arrogant lion to the well where the fabricated rival supposedly resides, Rumi weaves a profound Sufi lesson on spiritual seclusion. When asked by the lion about his rival, the hare explains that the rival dwells securely in the well. Rumi elevates this narrative detail into an allegory, asserting that the truly wise choose the 'depth of the well'—a metaphor for isolation—because 'in solitude lie the heart's purities.' Rumi contrasts the physical darkness of the well with the spiritual 'darknesses of mankind,' warning that entangling oneself with the masses and seeking worldly association will ultimately lead to spiritual ruin. Concurrently, the hare continues his cunning deception by feigning intense fear of the imaginary rival, convincing the proud lion to carry him forward to peer into the water, perfectly setting his trap.

The Metaphor of the Well and Spiritual Seclusion in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, after intentionally delaying his arrival, the hare finally approaches the infuriated lion. When the angry lion dismisses the possibility of a valid excuse from a perceived fool, the hare cautiously pleads for him to listen. The hare concocts a clever, fabricated story, claiming that he and a companion hare were en route to present themselves as the daily tribute, but were intercepted by another fierce lion on the road. Playing on the king's pride and territorial instincts, the hare reports that this rival lion mocked the king's sovereignty and seized the companion hare as a pledge. By inventing this formidable usurper, the hare successfully shifts the lion's wrath away from his own tardiness and redirects it toward an imagined rival, setting the psychological trap that will ultimately lead to the tyrant's downfall.

Google

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, as the hare deliberately delays his arrival, the waiting lion grows fiercely angry. He bitterly regrets listening to the "determinists" (the prey animals), feeling that their persuasive speech deceived him and fettered his innate strength. Using the lion's realization as a springboard, Rumi introduces a fundamental Sufi metaphor distinguishing between outward form and inner essence. He compares speech and outward appearances to the "skin" or shell, and true meaning to the "kernel" or soul. Rumi cautions that eloquent, colorful words can act as a deceptive skin that conceals a defective core, fleeting "like a design on water." In stark contrast to the transient rhetoric and caprice of worldly kings, the profound "messages of the Creator" and the prophets possess eternal validity and enduring spiritual truth.

The Lion's Regret and the Metaphor of Skin and Kernel in the Masnavi

## Original content
<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right; line-height: 2; margin-top: 0.5rem;">

گفت خرگوش الامان عذریم هست 
گر دهد عفو خداوندیت دست
گفت چه عذر ای قصور ابلهان 
این زمان آیند در پیش شهان
مرغ بی‌وقتی سرت باید برید 
عذر احمق را نمی‌شاید شنید
عذر احمق بتر از جرمش بود 
عذر نادان زهر هر دانش بود
عذرت ای خرگوش از دانش تهی 
من نه خرگوشم که در گوشم نهی
گفت ای شه ناکسی را کس شمار 
عذر استم دیده‌ای را گوش دار
خاص از بهر زکات جاه خود 
گمرهی را تو مران از راه خود
بحر کو آبی به هر جو می‌دهد 
هر خسی را بر سر و رو می‌نهد
کم نخواهد گشت دریا زین کرم 
از کرم دریا نگردد بیش و کم
گفت دارم من کرم بر جای او 
جامهٔ هر کس برم بالای او
گفت بشنو گر نباشم جای لطف 
سر نهادم پیش اژدرهای عنف
من بوقت چاشت در راه آمدم 
با رفیق خود سوی شاه آمدم
با من از بهر تو خرگوشی دگر 
جفت و همره کرده بودند آن نفر
شیری اندر راه قصد بنده کرد 
قصد هر دو همره آینده کرد
گفتمش ما بنده شاهنشهیم 
خواجه تاشان که آن درگهیم
گفت شاهنشه کی باشد شرم دار 
پیش من تو یاد هر ناکس میار
هم ترا و هم شهت را بر درم 
گر تو با یارت بگردید از درم
گفتمش بگذار تا بار دگر 
روی شه بینم برم از تو خبر
گفت همره را گرو نه پیش من 
ور نه قربانی تو اندر کیش من
لابه کردیمش بسی سودی نکرد 
یار من بستد مرا بگذاشت فرد
یارم از زفتی دو چندان بد که من 
هم بلطف و هم بخوبی هم بتن
بعد ازین زان شیر این ره بسته شد 
حال ما این بود و با تو گفته شد
از وظیفه بعد ازین اومید بر 
حق همی گویم ترا والحق مر
گر وظیفه بایدت ره پاک کن 
هین بیا و دفع آن بی‌باک کن

</div>

## English translation
The hare said, "Protection! I have an excuse, if your lordly pardon grants the means." He said, "What excuse, you deficiency of fools? Is this the time to come before kings? You are an ill-timed bird; your head should be cut off. A fool's excuse is not fit to be heard. A fool's excuse is worse than his crime; an ignorant person's excuse is poison to all knowledge. Your excuse, O hare, is empty of knowledge; I am not a hare for you to put it into my ear." He said, "O king, count a nobody as somebody; listen to the excuse of one who has suffered wrong. Especially as the zakat of your high rank, do not drive a lost one from your path. The sea, which gives water to every stream, sets every straw on its head and face. The sea will not diminish through this generosity; through generosity the sea becomes neither more nor less." He said, "I have generosity in its proper place; I cut each person's garment according to his stature." He said, "Listen, though I may not be fit for favor: I have laid my head before the dragons of violence. At the time of the morning meal I set out on the road; with my companion I came toward the king. For your sake another hare had been paired with me and made my fellow traveler by those people. A lion on the road intended harm against this servant; he intended harm against both companions coming along. I said to him, 'We are servants of the king of kings; we are fellow servants belonging to that court.' He said, 'Who is the king of kings? Have shame. Do not mention any nobody before me. I will tear up both you and your king if you and your companion turn away from my door.' I said to him, 'Let me go so that one more time I may see the king's face and bring news of you.' He said, 'Leave your companion as a pledge before me; otherwise you are the sacrifice in my religion.' We pleaded with him much; it did no good. He took my companion and left me alone. My companion was twice as large as I, in charm, in beauty, and in body. From now on this road is blocked by that lion. This was our condition, and it has been told to you. From now on, cut off hope for the appointed tribute. I am telling you the truth, and the truth is bitter. If you want the tribute, clear the road. Come now and repel that reckless one."

دفتر اول - بخش ۶۴ - عذر گفتن خرگوش / Book One - Section 64 - The Hare Giving an Excuse

https://huggingface.co/docs/transformers/model_summary

Huggingface Model Summary

The Hare's Fabricated Excuse to the Lion in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, when the hare finally approaches the waiting, infuriated lion, he employs a deliberate psychological tactic. Instead of appearing timid or apologetic, the hare runs toward the lion "without fear and boldly," intentionally projecting an angry and "sour-faced" demeanor. Rumi explains the hare's reasoning: approaching in a broken or submissive manner would arouse the lion's suspicion, whereas projecting boldness drives away doubt and lends credibility to his impending deception. The arrogant lion, furious and insulted by this defiant display from a mere "half-hare," boasts of his immense physical might and fiercely demands an explanation for the delay. This encounter highlights the profound contrast between raw physical power and strategic psychological manipulation.

The Hare's Bold Demeanor and the Lion's Wrath in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, expanding upon the distinction between deceptive outward words and true inner wisdom, Rumi explores the dynamic between the rational intellect and the transcendent spirit. He explains that while the intellect initially serves as a necessary guide and teacher for the spiritual seeker, it ultimately possesses a definitive boundary. To illustrate this limitation, Rumi employs the metaphor of the archangel Gabriel during the Prophet Muhammad's night journey (Mi'raj). Just as Gabriel must halt his ascent, warning that taking even one step further into the divine presence would cause him to burn, the human intellect cannot fully grasp or enter ultimate spiritual reality. At this sublime threshold, the intellect must surrender its leading role and become the pupil, allowing the awakened spirit to continue the journey toward union with God alone.

The Limit of Intellect and the Metaphor of Gabriel in the Masnavi

## Original content
<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right; line-height: 2; margin-top: 0.5rem;">

گفت بسم الله بیا تا او کجاست 
پیش در شو گر همی گویی تو راست
تا سزای او و صد چون او دهم 
ور دروغست این سزای تو دهم
اندر آمد چون قلاووزی به پیش 
تا برد او را به سوی دام خویش
سوی چاهی کو نشانش کرده بود 
چاه مغ را دام جانش کرده بود
می‌شدند این هر دو تا نزدیک چاه 
اینت خرگوشی چو آبی زیر کاه
آب کاهی را به هامون می‌برد 
آب کوهی را عجب چون می‌برد
دام مکر او کمند شیر بود 
طرفه خرگوشی که شیری می‌ربود
موسیی فرعون را با رود نیل 
می‌کشد با لشکر و جمع ثقیل
پشه‌ای نمرود را با نیم پر 
می‌شکافد بی‌محابا درز سر
حال آن کو قول دشمن را شنود 
بین جزای آنک شد یار حسود
حال فرعونی که هامان را شنود 
حال نمرودی که شیطان را شنود
دشمن ار چه دوستانه گویدت 
دام دان گر چه ز دانه گویدت
گر ترا قندی دهد آن زهر دان 
گر بتن لطفی کند آن قهر دان
چون قضا آید نبینی غیر پوست 
دشمنان را باز نشناسی ز دوست
چون چنین شد ابتهال آغاز کن 
ناله و تسبیح و روزه ساز کن
ناله می‌کن کای تو علام الغیوب 
زیر سنگ مکر بد ما را مکوب
گر سگی کردیم ای شیرآفرین 
شیر را مگمار بر ما زین کمین
آب خوش را صورت آتش مده 
اندر آتش صورت آبی منه
از شراب قهر چون مستی دهی 
نیستها را صورت هستی دهی
چیست مستی بند چشم از دید چشم 
تا نماند سنگ گوهر پشم یشم
چیست مستی حسها مبدل شدن 
چوب گز اندر نظر صندل شدن

</div>

## English translation
He said, "In God's name, come; where is he? Go ahead if you are telling the truth, so that I may give him, and a hundred like him, their due; and if this is a lie, I shall give you your due."

The hare went ahead like a guide, to lead him toward his own trap, toward the well he had pointed out; he had made that deep well a snare for his soul.

The two of them went on until they came near the well. What a hare: like water hidden beneath straw. Water carries straw out to the plain; how strange that it should carry off a mountain.

The snare of his cunning was a noose for the lion; a wondrous hare, stealing away a lion.

A Moses draws Pharaoh to the River Nile, with his army and heavy host. A mosquito, with half a wing, fearlessly splits open Nimrod's skull.

See the state of one who listens to an enemy's speech; see the recompense of one who became the companion of the envious. See the state of a Pharaoh who listened to Haman; the state of a Nimrod who listened to Satan.

Though an enemy speaks to you as a friend, know it as a trap, even if he speaks of grain. If he gives you sugar, know it as poison; if he shows kindness to your body, know it as wrath.

When divine decree arrives, you see nothing but the outer skin; you no longer recognize enemies from friends. When it has become like this, begin supplication: make lamentation, glorification, and fasting.

Cry out: "O Knower of the unseen, do not crush us under the stone of evil cunning. If we have behaved like dogs, O Creator of lions, do not appoint the lion over us from this ambush.

Do not give sweet water the form of fire; do not place the form of water within fire. When You give intoxication from the wine of wrath, You give nonexistences the form of existence.

What is intoxication? The eye being bound from the eye's seeing, until stone, jewel, wool, and jade no longer remain distinct. What is intoxication? The senses being transformed, a tamarisk stick appearing as sandalwood to sight."

Learn Before

Related

Learn After