In Chapter 48, Poem 11 of Attar's Mokhtar Nameh, the metaphor of the candle represents the paradoxical nature of mystical love. The candle speaks of the profound suffering ('blood fell into my heart') and the fear of destruction that forces its inner state to be revealed. Yet, it admits to harboring a hidden, intense desire for the fire that remains secret from the world. This represents the Sufi seeker's private and overwhelming yearning for divine annihilation, where the dread of spiritual burning is eclipsed by an inescapable desire to be consumed by the Beloved.