batch.motif.sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg-l12968-l13060
---
record_id: batch.motif.sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg-l12968-l13060
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
passage_locator:
label: IN THE NAME OF GOD, / THE ALL-MERCIFUL, THE VERY-COMPASSIONATE. / VIII. /
XIII.; lines 12968-13060
start: '12968'
end: '13060'
translation: The Mesnevi
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: The passage presents images of weak and strong things under forces such
as wind, axe, flame, water, waves, and spirit. It argues that outward movement
yields to inward idea or spirit, then describes God as the source of vital air
and spirit, including a destructive wind against old ‘Ād and gentle air for the
faithful. It turns to angels who scorn human sin while not seeing their own defect;
God admonishes them to give thanks rather than judge humans. The passage continues
with examples of pride and mistaken knowledge, including an ugly man angered at
a mirror, a self-conceited observer of others’ faults, a self-important prophetic
scribe, and a deaf man who rehearses a conversation with a sick neighbor in advance.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A hurricane uproots forest trees, while pliant reeds remain uninjured by the
blast.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: An axe cuts through boughs but does not set its edge to leaves, and flame
is not abashed by gathered thorns.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The passage states that outward signs yield to inward idea and that soul or
spirit originates vital force and directs movement, writing, peace, war, and choices.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: God sends vital air in blasts compared to dragons’ breath to destroy old ‘Ād’s
outcasts, while the same air gives peace, health, and strength to the faithful
as gentle zephyrs.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The Lord is described as an ocean from which rills of spirit fall, while heavens
and earth are described as straws floating on waves of divine power.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Angels know the sins of mankind, become angry and scornful, and do not see
their own hidden defect.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: God tells the angels not to notice mankind’s backslidings but to give thanks
that they were not made like humans and that their chastity is a quality held
from God.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: An ugly man sees his face in a looking-glass and turns away enraged at the
reflecting object.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: A self-conceited person sees another’s fault and a flame from hell is said
to be lighted in his heart; the passage identifies this as pride that he calls
holy zeal.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: A prophetic scribe becomes self-important and imagines himself equal to the
prophetic choir.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: A deaf man, told of a sick neighbor, plans the expected questions and answers
of a visit before going.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: God / the Lord
description: The divine source who sends vital air, is named as the soul of all,
and speaks to the angels.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: the Prophet
description: The Prophet is cited as assuring that God is the soul of all.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: old ‘Ād’s outcasts
description: A group destroyed by vital air sent in blasts like dragons’ breath.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: the faithful
description: Those who receive peace, health, and strength from gentle zephyrs.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: angels
description: Spirits who know human sins, scorn mankind, and are admonished by God.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: mankind / man
description: Humans whose sins are visible to angels and whose burden of fleshly
lusts is mentioned by God.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: ugly man
description: A man who sees his face in a mirror and becomes enraged at it.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: self-conceited person
description: A person who sees another’s fault and mistakes pride for holy zeal.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Prophet’s scribe
description: A scribe puffed with self-importance who imagines his own wisdom and
status equal to the prophetic choir.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: deaf man
description: A deaf man who plans a conversation with a sick neighbor by imagining
the neighbor’s replies.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: sick neighbor / invalid
description: A near neighbor said to be ill and near his end, whom the deaf man
intends to visit.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
roles:
- id: role:1
label: divine source and speaker
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: God sends air, is described as source of spirit, and addresses the angels.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: role:2
label: prophetic authority
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Prophet is invoked as the authority for the statement that God is the
soul of all.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:3
label: destroyed transgressor group
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Old ‘Ād’s outcasts are the recipients of destructive divine blasts.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: protected faithful group
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The faithful receive peace, health, and strength from gentle air.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: self-willed heavenly observers
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The angels see human sins, grow scornful, and are warned by God regarding
their own dependence.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:6
label: morally burdened humans
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Mankind’s sins and fleshly lusts are discussed in contrast with the angels.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:7
label: mirror example of anger at self-reflection
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The ugly man becomes enraged after seeing his own face in a looking-glass.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:8
label: example of pride disguised as zeal
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The self-conceited person sees others’ faults and labels pride as holy zeal.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:9
label: false claimant to prophetic wisdom
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The scribe imagines his own wisdom and voice equal to prophetic wisdom and
song.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:10
label: mistaken interpreter
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The deaf man relies on expected lip-movements and rehearsed assumptions rather
than hearing the sick man.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: role:11
label: ill neighbor
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: The neighbor is described as an invalid near his end.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: hurricane and pliant reed
literal_form: violent wind uprooting trees while reeds bend unharmed
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: axe against boughs
literal_form: axe cutting tree boughs but not leaves
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: flame and fire
literal_form: flame among thorns; hell-flame in the heart; fire of holy zeal
associated_figures:
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:9
- id: sym:4
label: water, ocean, rills, waves
literal_form: millstone turned by water; Lord as ocean; rills of spirit; straws
afloat on waves
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: vital air / breath
literal_form: air circulation, breath drawn and expired, destructive blasts, gentle
zephyrs
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: mirror
literal_form: looking-glass reflecting an ugly man’s face
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:7
label: nightingale and rose
literal_form: nightingale’s note and its love for the rose
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Images of force and yielding
summary: Natural and material images contrast trees with reeds, boughs with leaves,
flame with thorns, and sheep with the butcher’s knife to illustrate that apparent
strength is overcome by stronger force.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Spirit as source of motion
summary: The passage says idea, soul, life, and spirit move the heavens, bodies,
air, water-driven millstone, tides, breath, writing, and human choices.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Divine air destroys and heals
summary: God sends vital air as destructive blasts against old ‘Ād’s outcasts and
as gentle zephyrs bringing peace, health, and strength to the faithful.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Divine ocean and floating creation
summary: The Lord is described as an ocean from which spirits flow, and the heavens
and earth are compared to straws moved, rested, or cast aside by waves of divine
power.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Angels admonished for scorn
summary: Angels see human sins and become scornful, but God tells them to give thanks
and recognize that their purity is a quality received from God.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:6
label: Examples of pride and mistaken perception
summary: The passage gives examples of an ugly man enraged by a mirror, a self-conceited
person mistaking pride for zeal, a scribe overestimating his prophetic wisdom,
and a deaf man planning a conversation by conjecture.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: hidden inward power moves outward forms
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The passage repeatedly states that outward signs, cosmic motion, bodily movement,
words, and choices are moved by inward idea, soul, life, or spirit.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage is didactic and metaphysical
rather than a narrative myth episode.
- id: motif:2
label: one divine force harms the rebellious and benefits the faithful
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
- duality
basis: God’s vital air is described as destructive blasts against old ‘Ād’s outcasts
and as gentle zephyrs giving peace, health, and strength to the faithful.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives the contrast as an exemplum within a theological discourse,
not as a full judgment narrative.
- id: motif:3
label: pride concealed as holy zeal
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Angels scorn human sin while missing their own defect, and a self-conceited
person mistakes the hell-flame of pride for holy zeal.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: This is a moral-psychological motif rather than a named mythic episode.
- id: motif:4
label: mistaken knowledge through partial signs
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The prophetic scribe imitates prophetic expression without its inward source,
and the deaf man plans to infer a sick neighbor’s answers from appearances and
assumptions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: The motif is abstracted from parabolic examples; no external comparison
is asserted.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The reference to old ‘Ād destroyed by divinely sent wind aligns this passage
with an Islamic prophetic-punishment pattern in which a rebellious people are
destroyed by a wind sent by God.
claim_level: same_motif
target: destruction of ‘Ād by divinely sent wind in Islamic/Qur’anic tradition
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage alludes to the story rather than narrating it fully; no
external text is quoted or supplied in the request.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 12968-12971
quote_or_summary: A hurricane uproots forest trees, but pliant reeds are not injured
by the blast; the speaker warns man not to boast of strength.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 12972-12977
quote_or_summary: An axe cuts boughs, not leaves; a flame is not abashed by thorns;
sheep do not deflect a butcher’s knife.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 12978-12991
quote_or_summary: Outward signs yield to inward idea; the soul is said to originate
vital force, and spirit directs movement, writing, war or peace, and choices such
as rose or thorn.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 12992-12995
quote_or_summary: God sends vital air in blasts, like dragons’ breath, to destroy
old ‘Ād’s outcasts; to the faithful it gives peace, health, and strength as gentle
zephyrs.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 12996-13005
quote_or_summary: The Prophet is cited as saying God is the soul of all; the Lord
is an ocean from which rills of spirit fall, and heavens and earth are straws
moved or cast ashore by divine waves.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 13006-13011
quote_or_summary: The passage turns to angels, called victims of self-will, who
know mankind’s sins, grow angry at human baseness, and fail to see their own defect.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 13020-13031
quote_or_summary: God tells the angels not to dwell on human backsliding, to give
thanks that they were not made like humans, and to recognize their chastity as
a quality held from God.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 13012-13013
quote_or_summary: An ugly man sees his face in a looking-glass and turns away enraged
at the reflecting object.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 13014-13019
quote_or_summary: A self-conceited person sees another’s fault; a flame from hell
is lighted in his heart, which the passage identifies as pride misnamed holy zeal.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 13032-13043
quote_or_summary: The Prophet’s scribe, puffed with self-importance, imagines holy
wisdom in himself and compares his raven-croak to prophetic song; the passage
contrasts imitation of a bird’s note with knowing the nightingale’s love for the
rose.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 13044-13060
quote_or_summary: A deaf man hears of a sick neighbor and plans to visit, imagining
the neighbor’s likely replies about health, appetite, drink, and doctor.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary generated from supplied passage.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Literal extraction is based only on the supplied passage. Motif labels are
broad and require human review, especially where didactic parable is mapped to
comparative motif families.
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: |-
No external sources were used; taxonomy references are limited to the supplied available lists.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg__l12968-l13060
passage_sha256=e14f5a45a5f44901a3b1a4275e691d7cf641fcad0f9dfc81f404738b16755516