Overview

In Chapter 36, Poem 16 of Attar's Mokhtar Nameh, the poet employs classic Persian literary and mystical allegories of the beloved's physical features acting as instruments of captivity and divine madness for the lover.

Key Allegories and Imagery

• The Snare and the Bait (دام و دانه): The beloved's facial down (khatt) is likened to a snare (dam), and the beauty mark or mole (khal) is the bait or grain (daneh). The lover's heart is a bird (morgh-e del) that is willingly captured and resides alongside this bait, symbolizing how the soul is drawn into the sweet captivity of divine beauty.
• The Languid Eyes as a Hospital (بیمارستان چشم بیمار): The beloved's 'languid' or 'half-closed' eyes (cheshm-e bimar, literally 'sick eyes') are described as a hospital. In classical Persian poetry, the beloved's eyes are frequently described as 'sick' or sleepy, which ironically causes love-sickness in the beholder.
• The Chain-like Tresses (زلف چو زنجیر): ...