Cosmic Restlessness and Yearning

Attar describes the celestial sphere as being deprived of food and sleep, driven to a state of absolute bewilderment and perpetual restlessness, likened to quicksilver (simab). In Sufi cosmology, the rotation of the heavens is interpreted not as a mechanical process, but as an expression of ecstatic love and yearning (shawq) for the Divine, spinning in a state of perpetual search.

The Melting of Hearts and Souls

The quatrain depicts the devastating yet transformative impact of Divine Love on seekers. Attar writes that a hundred thousand hearts bleed at every moment, but then elevates the description by stating that even the soul (jan) itself melts away in this path. This imagery illustrates the Sufi concept of fana (the annihilation of individual existence and ego) under the intense heat of divine longing.