Concept

The Metaphor of the Mountain Goat and the Intoxication of Lust in the Masnavi

In Book 3 of Jalaluddin Rumi's Masnavi, the narrative of the angels Harut and Marut introduces a profound contrast between divine intoxication and the destructive drunkenness of worldly lust. Rumi initially describes the angels as being intoxicated by the gradual enticement and majesty of God. He then transitions to a vivid metaphor of a wild mountain goat to illustrate the blinding, fatal power of base desires. The goat, grazing safely on a high peak, spots a female goat on a distant mountain. Overcome by the 'drunkenness of lust,' the goat's vision is severely distorted, making the vast chasm between the mountains appear as narrow as a small drain. Driven by this blind urge, the goat leaps and tragically falls to its death in the abyss. Rumi uses this allegory to warn that worldly desires inevitably deceive the senses and can destroy even the mightiest heroes, urging the spiritual seeker to flee the drunkenness of lust in favor of divine dominion.

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Updated 2026-06-07

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