In Chapter 12, Poem 8 of Attar's Mokhtar Nameh, the poet explores the enduring and corrupting nature of the carnal ego (sag-e nafs). The poem equates companionship with this 'dog' to polytheism (shirk), suggesting that submitting to the ego's desires is a form of idolatry that inherently distracts from the Divine. The speaker expresses deep frustration that despite immense spiritual effort, the ego remains unimproved, leading to a despairing resignation that this inner struggle will persist until the end of his life.