Concept Definition

In Attar's Mokhtar Nameh (Chapter 47, Poem 27), the poet employs the metaphor of a melting and burning candle to represent the spiritual lover's complete devotion and self-sacrifice. Upon turning toward the beloved's heart-illuminating face, the lover, like a candle, undergoes continuous consumption ('melted and brought forth burning').

Key Themes

• Transformation through Devotion: The physical transformation (melting) symbolizes the dissolution of the ego or self in the presence of the beloved.
• Nocturnal Endurance: Bringing the night to day 'with a hundred burns' in the company of the sorrowful highlights the themes of endurance and sharing the collective grief of separation, where burning serves as both suffering and illumination.