batch.motif.sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg-l9210-l9302
---
record_id: batch.motif.sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg-l9210-l9302
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/sufi/project-gutenberg/mesnevi-book-1-redhouse.md
passage_locator:
label: OF QONYA. / PREFACE. / IN THE NAME OF GOD, / THE ALL-MERCIFUL, THE VERY-COMPASSIONATE.;
lines 9210-9302
start: '9210'
end: '9302'
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 through images of an arrow, water, seeds, wounds,
saints, forgetfulness, and returning birds that spoken words and acts generate
consequences, yet God and saints may affect remembrance, forgetfulness, and the
relation between cause and effect. It then resumes the parrot story: a bird hears
of the caged parrot’s sad state, faints, and the merchant laments the apparent
death of his beloved parrot.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: A spoken word is compared to an arrow shot from a bow that cannot be recalled.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: An outlet once opened is described as unstoppable, and a world may be ruined
by lack of quick wit.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Acts are said to produce consequences beyond a person’s power to reduce.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: In the example, Jack shoots an arrow at Jill; the arrow kills or wounds her,
and Jack remains the remote cause of her suffering.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: The passage says a person must render account for another person’s pangs,
even while pain is described as God’s work.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: A saint is said to acquire powers from God and to be able to avert a flying
bolt.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: The passage says the door can be shut between cause and consequence by God’s
prescience on a saint’s reclamation.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: Forgetfulness and remembrance are attributed to God, and dull forgetfulness
is said to blind the eye of man.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: Earthly lords are said to have dominion over bodies, while enlightened saints
are said to rule over hearts.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:10
text: God is described as emptying human souls of thoughts each night and filling
their hearts with thoughts again by day.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: Human hearts are compared to oyster shells filled with rich pearls.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:12
text: Thoughts and talents are said to return at dawn, like carrier pigeons returning
home.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: The passage states that all things revert to their source and parts go to
the whole.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:14
text: A bird hears of the parrot’s sad state, shudders, faints, and becomes stiff.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:15
text: The merchant reacts with dismay, throws himself to the ground, tears his clothes,
plucks his beard, and mourns.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:16
text: The merchant addresses the parrot as beloved, companion, second self, and
sweet-voiced prattler.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: spoken word
description: A spoken word is figuratively presented as an arrow shot from a bow.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Jack
description: An illustrative archer who shoots an arrow at Jill and remains responsible
for the resulting harm.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Jill
description: The person struck, wounded, or killed by Jack’s arrow in the example.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: God / Maker
description: The one Maker of the universe, source of pain, remembrance, forgetfulness,
guidance, talents, and the ability to affect cause and consequence.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: saint / enlightened saints
description: Saints acquire powers from God, may avert a flying bolt, and are said
to rule over hearts.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Prophet
description: The Prophet is cited as an authority whose words should be heeded.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: man / human beings
description: Human beings have souls, thoughts, talents, forgetfulness, and responsibility
for acts.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: bird
description: A bird hears of the parrot’s sad state, shudders, faints, and becomes
stiff.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: merchant
description: The merchant sees the bird’s reaction and mourns with gestures of grief.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: parrot / Polly
description: The merchant’s beloved parrot, described as companion, second self,
prattler, and sweet-voiced bird.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Solomon
description: Solomon is mentioned hypothetically in the merchant’s lament as one
who would have enjoyed such a green parrot.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: irreversible utterance image
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The spoken word is compared to a shot arrow that cannot be recalled.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: remote cause of harm
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Jack shoots the arrow and remains the remote cause of Jill’s misery.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: injured or killed target
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Jill is struck, wounded, or killed by Jack’s arrow.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: divine source and governor
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: God is described as Maker, source of pain, giver of guidance, and controller
of remembrance and forgetfulness.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: holy mediator with power over causality and hearts
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Saints acquire powers from God, can avert a bolt, and rule over hearts.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: prophetic authority
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The passage tells the listener to give heed to the words of the Prophet.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: responsible human recipient of thoughts and talents
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: Human beings receive thoughts and talents, are subject to forgetfulness,
and render account for consequences.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: messenger-like reacting bird
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The bird hears news of the parrot’s sad state and reacts by fainting.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:9
label: mourning owner
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The merchant reacts with grief and laments the parrot.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:10
label: beloved companion bird
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: The parrot is addressed as dear, darling, companion, second self, and sweet-voiced.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:11
label: exemplary bird-knower or royal listener
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: Solomon is invoked as one who would have taken pleasure in the green parrot.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: arrow
literal_form: Arrow shot from a bow; also Jack’s arrow that strikes Jill.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:2
label: water outlet and inundation
literal_form: Inundation at its source and an outlet that cannot be stopped once
found.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: seed-sowing and propagation
literal_form: Propagation and seed-sowing whose effects continue to operate.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: flying bolt
literal_form: A flying bolt that a saint can avert with a nod.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: hearts
literal_form: Hearts subject to saints’ dominion and filled by God with thoughts.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: oyster shells and pearls
literal_form: Human hearts compared to oyster shells filled with rich pearls.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:7
label: carrier pigeons returning home
literal_form: Carrier pigeons returning from wherever they have been to their homes.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:8
label: parrot
literal_form: The beloved green parrot, companion and sweet-voiced prattler in the
merchant’s lament.
associated_figures:
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:9
label: mourning gestures
literal_form: Falling to earth, tearing clothes, plucking beard, moaning, and sobbing.
associated_figures:
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Irreversible speech and consequences
summary: The passage teaches that a spoken word, like a shot arrow or released flow
of water, cannot be recalled and may produce far-reaching consequences.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Jack and Jill as example of moral consequence
summary: Jack shoots Jill with an arrow; whether she dies immediately, later dies
of pain, or remains wounded, Jack is responsible as a remote cause.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Saints and interrupted causality
summary: A saint receives power from God, may avert a flying bolt, and God may close
the door between cause and consequence.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Remembrance, forgetfulness, and rule over hearts
summary: The passage attributes remembrance and forgetfulness to God and says enlightened
saints rule over hearts while earthly lords rule bodies.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Nightly emptying and daily return of thoughts
summary: God empties souls of thoughts at night and fills hearts with thoughts again
by day; thoughts and talents return like carrier pigeons to their homes.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Bird faints and merchant mourns
summary: A bird hears of the parrot’s sad state and faints; the merchant, seeing
this, throws himself down, tears his clothes, plucks his beard, and laments the
parrot.
figure_refs:
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:8
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Irreversible word or act producing consequence
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The passage repeatedly states that a spoken word or action, once released,
cannot be recalled and generates consequences beyond the actor’s control.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage is didactic rather than a
discrete mythic narrative.
- id: motif:2
label: Moral accounting for indirect harm
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
basis: Jack remains accountable for Jill’s suffering or death caused by the arrow,
even though pain is described as God’s work.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage speaks of rendering account, but does not narrate a judgment
scene.
- id: motif:3
label: Holy person suspends or alters cause and effect
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: A saint receiving power from God can avert a flying bolt, and God can close
the door between cause and consequence.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage presents a doctrinal claim rather than a fully narrated miracle
episode.
- id: motif:4
label: Divine control of memory, forgetting, and inward life
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: Remembrance, forgetfulness, nightly emptying of thoughts, daily refilling
of hearts, and guidance of souls are all attributed to God.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: No narrower supplied taxonomy category directly names memory or interiority.
- id: motif:5
label: Return to source
taxonomy_refs:
- return
basis: Thoughts and talents return at dawn like carrier pigeons returning home,
and the passage states that all things revert to their source.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The return is metaphysical and didactic rather than the return stage of
a hero narrative.
- id: motif:6
label: Lament for beloved speaking bird
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The merchant mourns the apparent death of his beloved parrot, calling it
companion, second self, and sweet-voiced prattler.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: The larger story context may clarify the parrot episode; this extraction
uses only the supplied passage.
comparison_claims: []
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 9210-9217
quote_or_summary: A spoken word is compared to an arrow that cannot be recalled;
an opened outlet cannot be stopped; acts may produce unforeseen consequences.
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 9218-9233
quote_or_summary: The universe is the work of one Maker; Jack shoots Jill with an
arrow and remains accountable for her wound, pain, or death; propagation and seed-sowing
continue in their effects.
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 9234-9247
quote_or_summary: A saint receives powers from God, can avert a flying bolt, and
God can shut the door between cause and consequence; annulment and forgetfulness
are cited.
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 9248-9259
quote_or_summary: Forgetfulness can blind a person; the Prophet is invoked; earthly
lords rule bodies, while enlightened saints rule hearts.
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 9260-9273
quote_or_summary: Remembrance and forgetfulness are of God; God empties souls of
thoughts at night and fills hearts with thoughts again by day, like oyster shells
filled with pearls.
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 9274-9285
quote_or_summary: Talents and thoughts return after sleep and at dawn; carrier pigeons
return home; all things revert to their source, and parts return toward the whole.
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 9286-9293
quote_or_summary: A bird hears of the parrot’s sad state, shudders, faints, and
becomes stiff; the merchant reacts with dismay, throws himself down, tears his
clothes, plucks his beard, and sobs.
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 9294-9302
quote_or_summary: The merchant laments the parrot as dear, darling, companion, second
self, sly talker, green parrot, prattler, and sweet-voiced beloved.
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: uncertain
notes: Extraction is based only on the supplied line range. Motif labels are broad
and require human review, especially where didactic metaphors rather than narrative
episodes are involved. No comparison claims were made because the passage itself
does not support a specific comparative link beyond available broad taxonomy categories.
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 figures, symbols, scenes, and motif candidates are derived from the supplied passage and metadata only.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:sufi-rumi-mesnevi-book-1-redhouse-gutenberg__l9210-l9302
passage_sha256=d02b2ef6b7c25b8bfc59f369c16efbcd37335c06d94759fa3a67f216801b5160