In Attar's Mokhtar Nameh (Chapter 47, Poem 103), the poet employs the metaphor of the candle to illustrate the absolute devotion of the mystical lover in the state of separation.

Key Concepts

• The Flood of Tears in Separation: The lover's grief is so intense that they describe being drowned in their own abundant tears caused by separation from the Beloved. Tears represent the outward manifestation of inner spiritual burning.
• The Existential Purpose of Burning: The lover's 'burnt heart' is defined by its inherent capacity to burn. For the lover, burning is not an accidental state but their primary duty and existential reality.
• Complete Devotion (Carrying out with the Head): The Persian phrase ba sar bordan (to carry out with the head) double-functions as a sign of complete devotion/willingness and a physical reference to the candle's head/wick. Like a candle, the lover performs every task of love with ultimate sacrifice, burning down to the very end.