batch.motif.sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg-l12475-l12578
---
record_id: batch.motif.sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg-l12475-l12578
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
passage_locator:
label: PREFACE. / IN THE NAME OF GOD, / THE ALL-MERCIFUL, THE VERY-COMPASSIONATE.
/ VIII.; lines 12475-12578
start: '12475'
end: '12578'
translation: The Mesnevi
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: A lion asks a fox to divide captured prey after a wolf has already been
killed. The fox assigns all the prey to the lion and says the dead wolf taught
him. The lion praises the fox's self-effacement and gives him all the prey. The
narrator draws a moral about learning from earlier divine judgments, then applies
the lesson to Noah, saints, pride, surrender of selfhood, and the purity of the
heart before God.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The lion commands the fox to divide prey consisting of an ox, an ibex, and
a hare.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The fox bows reverently and assigns the ox, ibex, and hare as portions for
the lion at different meals.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The fox says the dead wolf taught him how to divide the prey.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: The lion praises the fox, says the fox has given himself up, identifies the
fox with himself, and grants all the prey to the fox.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The fox thanks his fortune that the lion first commanded the wolf rather than
himself to divide the prey.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The narrator states that past divine judgments on ancient peoples are set
forth so that later hearers may learn from them.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: Noah tells a stiff-necked people that he is not himself, has sacrificed self,
and has God as his light, mind, sight, and breath.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: Noah says that within his fox-like form there is the lion's power.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: The narrator says Noah, aided by God, could overturn a world, and describes
him as fire and the world as straw.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: The narrator warns that one who raises a proud voice against the hidden lion
in saintly form will be torn like the wolf.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: The audience is urged to deny themselves like the fox, relinquish thoughts
of I and We, and yield the kingdom to God.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:12
text: God is described as pure spirit, creator of both worlds, without need of praise
or honor, and knower of all hearts.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:13
text: A cleansed breast is described as a mirror in which heavenly truths appear.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: lion
description: A commanding royal animal who orders division of prey, judges the division,
praises the fox, and gives the prey to him.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: fox
description: A wily and reverent animal who bows, assigns all prey to the lion,
learns from the wolf's fate, and is rewarded.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: dead wolf
description: A previously killed wolf, called wretched and selfish, whose fate teaches
the fox and serves as an example for others.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Noah
description: A speaker who says he has sacrificed self, depends on God's love, and
bears hidden lion power within a fox-like form.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: God
description: The Lord who judges earlier peoples, aids Noah, possesses the kingdom,
creates both worlds, and knows the secrets of hearts.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: ancient peoples and proud opponents
description: People of earlier ages, including named examples of ‘Ad and Pharaoh,
and those who proudly oppose saintly forms.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: readers or addressed audience
description: The audience is instructed to consider earlier examples, learn wisdom,
deny self, and keep hearts pure before God.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: saintly form
description: A saintly outward form in which a hidden lion is said to be present.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: sovereign judge and bestower
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The lion commands the division, evaluates the fox's answer, and gives all
the prey to the fox.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: wise self-effacing learner
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The fox learns from the dead wolf, relinquishes claim to the prey, and is
praised for giving himself up.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:3
label: cautionary victim of selfishness
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The wolf is described as dead, wretched, and selfish, and his fate instructs
the fox and the audience.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: role:4
label: self-sacrificing divine messenger
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: Noah says he is not himself, has sacrificed self, and acts with God's light,
breath, and aid.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: omniscient Lord and divine judge
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: God's judgments, aid, sovereignty, creative power, and knowledge of hearts
are stated directly.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:6
label: negative examples for moral instruction
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Earlier peoples and proud opponents are presented as warnings from which
later people should learn.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: role:7
label: moral learner
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The audience is told to consider old examples, imitate the fox, relinquish
selfhood, and purify the heart.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: humble exterior concealing power
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The passage warns against pride toward the hidden lion in saintly form.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: prey
literal_form: ox, ibex, and hare seized as food
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: lion
literal_form: lion as royal animal and as hidden power within fox-like or saintly
form
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: sym:3
label: fox form
literal_form: fox or fox-like outward form
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: sym:4
label: dead wolf and wolf bones
literal_form: dead wolf, old-world wolves, and bones or skeletons of wolves
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: fire
literal_form: Noah described as fire; the world described as straw consumed in smoke
and flames
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: straw
literal_form: the world described as a stack of straw
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:7
label: mirror of the heart
literal_form: a cleansed breast described as a mirror for heavenly truths
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:8
label: hair in milk
literal_form: secrets of the heart said to be patent to God as a hair in milk
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- milk
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:9
label: touchstone
literal_form: God's law as a touchstone testing metal
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Fox divides the prey for the lion
summary: The lion orders the fox to apportion the captured ox, ibex, and hare; the
fox assigns each item to the lion and says the dead wolf taught him.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Lion rewards self-effacement
summary: The lion praises the fox's judgment and self-giving, identifies him with
himself, and grants him all the prey.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Moral drawn from prior judgments
summary: The fox reflects that his low position saved him, and the narrator extends
the lesson to divine judgments on ancient peoples.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Noah's self-sacrifice and hidden power
summary: Noah declares that he is not himself, has sacrificed self, and bears God's
light and breath; the passage says his fox-like form contains lion power.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Divine aid and destructive fire image
summary: The narrator says Noah could overturn a world only by God's aid, describing
Noah as fire and the world as straw consumed in flames.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Warning against pride before the saintly form
summary: The passage warns that pride against the hidden lion in a saint's form
brings destruction like the wolf's, and urges denial of self and surrender of
the kingdom to God.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: scene:7
label: Purified heart before God
summary: The passage describes God as without need, creator and knower of hearts,
and presents the cleansed breast as a mirror tested by God's law.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
- sym:8
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: learning wisdom from another's downfall
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The fox learns from the dead wolf, and the narrator instructs readers to
learn from ancient peoples punished by God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents this as moral instruction rather than as a separate
narrative cycle.
- id: motif:2
label: self-effacement before sovereign power brings reward
taxonomy_refs:
- annihilation_union
basis: The fox gives up claim to the prey and is told he has given himself up; the
audience is later told to deny self and relinquish I and We.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is supported by explicit self-negation language,
though the opening scene is an animal fable.
- id: motif:3
label: divine judgment on prideful opponents
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: Past judgments on ancient peoples, examples of ‘Ad and Pharaoh, Noah's opponents,
and proud opponents of saintly forms are presented as warnings.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: Specific historical or scriptural details are not elaborated in this passage.
- id: motif:4
label: hidden divine power in humble outward form
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Noah's fox-like form and the saintly form are said to contain lion power,
and scorn toward that exterior is condemned.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage uses animal imagery metaphorically; no external motif classification
is asserted.
- id: motif:5
label: world consumed like straw by sacred fire
taxonomy_refs:
- world_destroying_fire
basis: Noah is described as fire and the world as straw sinking in smoke and flames.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: The fire is a metaphor in this passage rather than a literal narrated
cosmic conflagration.
- id: motif:6
label: purified heart as mirror of truth
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: A breast cleansed of guile is described as a mirror in which heavenly truths
appear, under God's knowledge and testing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The available taxonomy contains only a broad wisdom category; the mirror
image itself has no supplied taxonomy reference.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage explicitly treats the fox's learning from the wolf as the same
instructional pattern by which readers should learn from earlier peoples punished
by God.
claim_level: same_function
target: fox learning from dead wolf compared with readers learning from ancient
divine judgments
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is an internal comparison made by the passage, not a claim about
historical relationship to another tradition.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage maps the animal fable's lion imagery onto Noah and saintly forms
by presenting hidden lion power within a fox-like or humble exterior.
claim_level: same_function
target: lion power in the fable compared with hidden lion power in Noah and the
saintly form
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The comparison is rhetorical and symbolic within the passage; it does
not establish an external motif lineage.
- id: claim:3
claim: The wolf's fate functions as a model for later proud opponents who resist
the hidden lion in saintly form.
claim_level: same_function
target: dead wolf compared with prideful opponents of saints
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The passage gives a moral analogy rather than a detailed parallel narrative.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 12475-12486
quote_or_summary: The lion tells the fox to divide the ox, ibex, and hare; the fox
bows and assigns the prey to the lion, saying the dead wolf taught him.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 12487-12497
quote_or_summary: The lion praises the fox as just, says he has given himself up,
identifies the fox with himself, grants him the prey, and says he learned from
the selfish wolf's fate.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 12498-12508
quote_or_summary: The fox thanks his fortune that the wolf was commanded first and
praises being placed low enough to follow mightier ones.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 12509-12517
quote_or_summary: The narrator says God's judgments on ancient peoples are set forth
so later people may learn, invoking old-world wolves, ‘Ad, and Pharaoh as warnings.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 12518-12527
quote_or_summary: Noah tells a stiff-necked people that he is not himself, has sacrificed
self, breathes God's breath, and holds lion power within a fox-like form.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 12528-12533
quote_or_summary: The narrator says Noah could overturn the world only with God's
aid; hidden herds of lions were within him, and he was fire while the world was
straw.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 12534-12545
quote_or_summary: The passage warns that pride against the hidden lion in saintly
form will be torn like the wolf, and urges self-denial, abandonment of I and We,
and yielding the kingdom to God.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 12546-12564
quote_or_summary: God is described as pure spirit, needing no praise, creator of
both worlds, knower of hearts; the pure breast is a mirror, and God's law tests
metal like a touchstone.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; concise summary used.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: Extraction uses only the supplied passage. Motif candidates are strongest
where the passage itself makes explicit moral or symbolic links; taxonomy mapping
is cautious where imagery is metaphorical.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-29'
notes: |-
All comparisons are internal to the passage and do not assert historical contact or external borrowing.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg__l12475-l12578
passage_sha256=e7f6e4979b9f81449c001bfe347669579554db86fd68ab1d79bac57060127083