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wineorofthecask,anditisexcludedbytheproximityofnaturefromwitnessing
thesourcesofemanation.’^16 Davānīthengoesintoanexplanationoftheunionof
the rational soul with the Active Intellect according to the theories of the
IlluminationistandPeripateticschoolsofphilosophy.HeexplainsthatḤāfiẓwishes
toportraytheascendingsoulassayingsomethinglikethefollowing:

WiththeeyeofrealizationIgazedupontheformsofexistencefromabove

andbelow,Isawtheseparateintellects,whichtranscendacceptanceand

rejection,whobycontemplatingtheirownperfectioninthefieldsofpossibil-

itywereknockingonthedoorofthetavernofuniversalcreationandtheir

ownluminousperfection.ThisisanexpressionforthecomprehensiveAdamic

presence.^17

Whilethetoneofthisexplanationhasamockingcharacter,itisquitetechnicaland
thoroughlyimmersedinoneofthechiefacademicdiscoursesofpremodernIslamic
thought.
Finally,itmaycomeasnosurprisethatsomeofthecompanionsofDavānīhad
requestedthatheprovideaverybriefcommentaryonthisverse;evidently,some
ofthemhadsimplygottenlostintheintricategyrationsoftheprecedingthree
sections.Hereishowheresponded:

Knowthatthegistoftheverseisthatwhenburninglove–mayitbeeverfor-

tunateandvictorious–withtheaidofthemomentaryinspiration[waqt]went

forthintheformofitsowndisplayandbecamethemirrorofthepurecondition

ofeverybeautyintheclearmomentduringthatjourneyofavictoriousking,it

broughtthedegreesofitsownperfectionintoviewintheformsthatarepres-

ent.Itwitnesseditsownessentialandpotentialspiritualfaculties,whichwent

insearchofthetavernandthewine-sellingmasterwithshoutsandcries.If

theywerejoinedinpresencewithsomeoftheactivedegreeswhichtheycall

‘immutableentities’[a‘yān-i thābita]andwerefreefromageneralmeasureof

spiritualsuffering,yetsincetheirpoweroflongingwasstillinaction,they

searchedforthemostperfectofthelightsofmanifestationandthelimitof

adornment.Thenwithcompleteefforttheyknockedonthedoorofthetavern

oflove,fortheyhadtheremainderofcreationontheirheads.Iftheyhada

crownofstabilityontheheadofambitionandsoughtthatuniversalexistence,

thesedegreeshavealimit:itisthemasterofthemercifulbreath[nafas-i

raḥmānī],Isrāfīl^18 andhistrumpet.Necessarilyfromhismixedclay,whichthe

dervishes say is the elemental human power and the upright body, they

expresseditasacup,andtheytrainedhimtothelimitsofallways.Thushere

theycallthe‘immutableentities’persons.There,thefirstloveseesitselfasthe

last,anditfindsitsownbeautytobeexceedinglygloriousinthecompleteness

ofitsperfection.Thisisontheprinciplethatforanythingtoseeitselfinitselfis

likeseeingitselfinamirror,butthelatterformofseeingissuperiorandmore

ḤāfiẓandtheReligionofLoveinClassicalPersianPoetry