Overview

In Chapter 36, Poem 5 of the Mokhtar Nameh, Attar utilizes traditional Persian poetic imagery of the beloved's physical features—specifically the tresses (zolf), facial down (khatt), and narcissus eyes (narges)—to convey deep mystical states of entanglement, spiritual freshness, and divine intoxication.

Key Symbols and Themes

• The Twisted Tresses (Zolf): The beloved's dark, tangled hair represents the veil of multiplicity and the material world that entangles and perplexes the seeker's heart (del).
• The Satiated Down (Khatt): The down, symbolizing spiritual rebirth or the green pasture of divine secrets, is nourished and kept fresh by the spring of the lover's heart.
• The Half-Intoxicated Narcissus Eye (Narges): The narcissus flower represents the beloved's languid, sleepy, and half-intoxicated eye. Attar rhetorically questions why the eye is sleepy if it has not drunk wine, symbolizing the innate divine ecstasy and self-sufficiency (istighna) that o...