In Chapter 23, Poem 41 of Attar's Mokhtar Nameh, the poet reflects on the devastating realization of aging and the vanity of his youth. The physical changes—hair turning white like silver and the face growing pale or yellow like gold—are accompanied by a loss of intellect and a descent into severe distress. He expresses profound regret for the pride and wild passions he nurtured in his earlier years, recognizing that his life has now collapsed headlong, as fleeting and insubstantial as sea foam.