The wound is the place where the Light enters you.
Meaning: Our struggles and pain can lead to growth and enlightenment. The concept of “wound” symbolizes the painful experiences, struggles, and vulnerabilities that we face in life. Rumi reframes this idea by suggesting that these wounds are not merely sources of suffering; rather, they are essential openings through which deeper wisdom, love, and enlightenment can enter. In other words, when we are wounded—whether emotionally, mentally, or physically—these vulnerabilities can become gateways for personal growth and spiritual illumination. (Link)
Note:
Above is simplified translation. Original text is as following: (Reference)
تا نبیند قبح ریش خویش کس
آن مگس اندیشهها و آن مال تو
ریش تو آن ظلمت احوال تو
ور نهد مرهم بر آن ریش تو پیر
آن زمان ساکن شود درد و نفیر
تا که پندارد که صحت یافته ست
پرتو مرهم بر آن جا تافته ست
هین ز مرهم سر مکش ای پشت ریش
و آن ز پرتو دان مدان از اصل خویش
English Translation (Adapted from Nicholson):
Flies gather on every wound,So that no one sees the foulness of their own wound.Those flies are your evil thoughts and your love of possessions;Your wound is the darkness of your spiritual states.If the Pir lays a plaster on your wound,At once the pain and lamentation are stilled.So that he (the patient) fancies it is healed,But the healing ray of the plaster has shone upon that spot.Beware! Do not scornfully turn your head from the plaster, O you wounded in the back,But recognize that the healing comes from the ray, not from your own nature.