batch.motif.sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg-l13578-l13679
---
record_id: batch.motif.sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg-l13578-l13679
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 13578-13679
start: '13578'
end: '13679'
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 teaches that counsel may fail with hardened listeners, that
one should submit to God and keep the tongue bridled, and that hope and fear depend
on what is hidden. It illustrates uncertainty with a youth who suspects a fisherman
is Solomon until Solomon regains his signet-ring and royal power. It then praises
belief in the unseen and secret service, exemplified by a frontier castle warden
loyal to his king without witnesses. The passage concludes that God is witness
to human merit, while humans are compared to bats unable to bear the full light
of the sun.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The speaker says advice has often been given to hard-hearted people who would
not hear it.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The speaker counsels submission to God and worship as a way out of a dismal
dungeon.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The speaker says hope and fear are nourished by a curtain or veil and depend
on uncertainty.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: A youth on a river bank sees a fisherman and wonders whether he is Solomon
because of his royal features.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: Solomon later recovers his lost power; an usurping demon flees, and the signet-ring
of power returns to the royal hand.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Demons, fairies, and humans come to Solomon's command or court after the restoration
of the signet-ring.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The youth sees the signet-ring and his doubt ends.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: The speaker praises belief in what is unseen and says conjecture operates
when a subject is hidden from view.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:9
text: A castle warden stationed far from his sovereign defends his frontier post
against a besieging enemy and refuses to be bought over.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:10
text: The warden gains honor in his monarch's presence above brave men who fought
in royal trains.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:11
text: The speaker says secret service has more merit than service performed under
an observing eye.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:12
text: The speaker says God knows and will requite a person's merits, and names God,
angels, and men as witnesses.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:13
text: The passage compares human inability to bear full divine light to a bat seeking
darkness and shunning noon.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: speaker
description: Didactic voice offering counsel about God, secrecy, hope, fear, and
merit.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: God
description: Divine witness who knows and requites human merits and whose peace
and salvation are wished for all.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:10
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Zeyd
description: A named figure whose further speech or course is introduced but not
developed in this passage.
role_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: youth on the river bank
description: A youth who sees a fisherman, suspects he may be Solomon, and remains
in doubt until he sees the signet-ring.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Solomon
description: A royal figure temporarily seen as a fisherman, then restored to power
with the signet-ring.
role_refs:
- role:5
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: foul usurping demon
description: A demon who had usurped royal state and flees when Solomon's power
is restored.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: demons and fairies
description: Beings who flock to Solomon's command after the signet-ring returns
to his hand.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: mankind at Solomon's court
description: Humans who crowd to Solomon's court after his restoration.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: frontier castle warden
description: A warden defending a distant castle post loyally and secretly despite
a besieging foe and bribery attempts.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: sovereign or monarch
description: The ruler far from the warden's frontier post, in whose presence the
warden later receives honors.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: angels and men as witnesses
description: Witnesses named alongside God in testimony to divine unity and human
actions.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: bat
description: Animal used in simile for a human unable to bear full daylight.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
roles:
- id: role:1
label: teacher or admonisher
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The speaker gives direct moral and devotional counsel.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:2
label: divine recipient of submission and worship
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The passage tells the listener to submit to God and worship.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: ultimate witness and rewarder
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The passage says God knows merits and will requite them, and that God is
the witness.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:4
label: uncertain observer
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The youth remains in doubt about whether the fisherman is Solomon until a
sign appears.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:5
label: hidden or disguised king
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Solomon is first perceived as a fisherman in secret and alone, yet with royal
features.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: restored sovereign
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Solomon recovers lost power and regains the signet-ring of power.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:7
label: usurper
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The demon is explicitly called a foul usurping demon and flees the royal
state.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:8
label: subjects or attendants
assigned_to:
- fig:7
- fig:8
basis: Demons, fairies, and mankind come to Solomon's command or court.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:9
label: loyal hidden servant
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The warden acts far from royal sight, defends his post, refuses bribery,
and fulfills his duty.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:10
label: honoring ruler
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The monarch later gives the warden honors in his presence.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:11
label: secondary witnesses
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: Angels and men are named as witnesses, though God is presented as sufficient
witness.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:12
label: simile for light-avoiding humanity
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: Humans are likened to a bat unable to bear full daylight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: veil or curtain
literal_form: curtain, veil, veiledness, darkness' screen
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
- id: sym:2
label: dismal dungeon
literal_form: dismal dungeon vile
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: river bank
literal_form: river's bank where the youth sees the fisherman
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: signet-ring of power
literal_form: signet-ring of power on the royal hand
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:5
label: frontier castle
literal_form: castle on the marches, distant from the sovereign
associated_figures:
- fig:9
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:6
label: sun and full light
literal_form: fervent, blazing sun and full light of day
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: sym:7
label: bat and darkness
literal_form: bat seeking darkness and shunning noon's ray
associated_figures:
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Admonition to submit and worship
summary: The speaker says hard hearts have resisted advice and instructs the listener
to submit to God and worship as a way out of a dismal dungeon.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Veil sustaining hope and fear
summary: The speaker explains that hope and fear are sustained by uncertainty and
veiling; if the veil is torn away, conjecture and suspense end.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
- id: scene:3
label: Youth uncertain about Solomon
summary: A youth on a river bank sees a fisherman, suspects he may be Solomon, and
remains suspended between opinions.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Solomon restored by signet-ring
summary: Solomon recovers lost power; the usurping demon flees, the signet-ring
is again on the royal hand, and demons, fairies, and humans come to Solomon's
command or court. The youth's doubt ends when he sees the ring.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:5
label: Loyal warden's secret service
summary: A frontier castle warden defends his post far from the sovereign, refuses
bribery, and later receives honor above those whose service was more visible.
figure_refs:
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:6
label: God as witness and unbearable light
summary: The speaker says God knows and rewards merits, names God with angels and
men as witnesses, and compares humans to bats that cannot bear the full light
of the sun.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:11
- fig:12
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: hiddenness preserves hope, fear, and belief
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
- mystical_quest
basis: The passage states that hope and fear are nourished by a curtain's shade,
that conjecture functions when things are hidden, and praises belief in what is
not seen.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage is explicitly didactic and theological; the motif label abstracts
from the teaching rather than naming a fixed narrative type.
- id: motif:2
label: restored king recognized by royal token
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: Solomon is doubted while hidden as a fisherman, then restored when the signet-ring
of power returns to his hand; the youth's doubt ends when he sees the ring.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage uses the Solomon episode as an exemplum within a discourse
on veiling and certainty.
- id: motif:3
label: secret loyal service rewarded by the king
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
- wisdom
basis: The warden serves loyally far from the sovereign's eye, resists the enemy,
and later gains honor above more visible fighters; the speaker states that secret
service has greater merit.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The kingly example is analogical and is immediately applied to divine
knowledge and reward.
- id: motif:4
label: divine witness surpasses outward witnesses
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
- wisdom
basis: The passage says not to boast because God knows and will requite merits,
and that God's witness is greater than other witnesses.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The passage emphasizes witness and recompense rather than a formal judgment
scene.
- id: motif:5
label: human incapacity before overwhelming divine light
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The passage compares the blazing sun to a light no mortal eye can bear and
likens humans to bats seeking darkness.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The comparison is a simile in a theological argument, not an independent
mythic episode.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: passage beginning; embedded verse 105
quote_or_summary: The speaker says advice has often been given in soft accents to
hearts of stone, but they would not hear.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: embedded verses 109-115
quote_or_summary: The speaker asks whether one would find a way out of a dismal
dungeon and answers by urging submission to God and worship; Zeyd is then mentioned
as a figure whose road in reason will be heard.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: quote
locator: embedded verses 118-119
quote_or_summary: "“That hope and fear are nourished by a curtain’s shade. / ’Tis
through uncertainty that hope and fear invade.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: embedded verses 119-122
quote_or_summary: A youth on a river bank sees a fisherman, guesses he may be Solomon,
wonders why he is secret and alone, and remains in doubt because of the fisherman's
royal features.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: embedded verses 123-124
quote_or_summary: Solomon recovers lost power; the usurping demon flees; the avenging
sword pursues him; the signet-ring of power returns to the royal hand; demons
and fairies flock to Solomon's command.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: embedded verses 125-126
quote_or_summary: Mankind crowds to Solomon's court, including the youth, who sees
the signet-ring and has no more doubt.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: embedded verses 127-133
quote_or_summary: The speaker says conjecture works when the subject is hidden;
once visible, surmise ceases. The speaker cites love for the text about those
who believe what is not seen and discusses scrutinizing what is behind darkness'
screen.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: embedded verses 137-139
quote_or_summary: A warden of a frontier castle, far from his sovereign and aid,
defends the post against a besieging foe, rejects bribery, and fulfills his pact
without being seen.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: embedded verses 140-142
quote_or_summary: The warden gains honors in the monarch's presence above brave
men in the royal trains; the passage states that a little secret service has more
merit than more service done under an observing eye.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: embedded verses 143-148
quote_or_summary: The passage says faith and piety on earth are prized by God, tells
the listener not to boast because God knows and will requite merits, and names
God, angels, and knowledgeable men as witnesses.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: embedded verses 149-150
quote_or_summary: The passage compares divine witness or manifestation to a blazing
sun whose beams mortal eyes cannot bear, and says man, like a bat, seeks darkness
and shuns noon's ray.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: uncertain
notes: Literal extraction is well supported by the supplied passage. Motif candidates
are interpretive abstractions from didactic exempla and should be reviewed. No
comparison claims were made because the passage itself does not explicitly support
a comparative claim beyond its own examples and citations.
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: |-
Used only the supplied passage and metadata. Available taxonomy references were applied only where the passage directly supported them; otherwise symbol taxonomy references were left empty.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg__l13578-l13679
passage_sha256=a842a0a091497a48e94641badd3b14f4f1fcec75015e1e556a99bd4c6fcb1781