In Poem 17 of Chapter 47 in the Mokhtar Nameh, Attar utilizes the metaphor of the candle to depict the lover's absolute dependence on the pain of love, while employing a sophisticated Persian wordplay on the verb 'to burn' (sukhtan):

1. The Candle and Perpetual Burning

The lover describes their existence through the candle metaphor: just as a candle cannot function or remain lit ('draw a breath') without burning, the lover cannot exist without the pain (suz) of love. The fire of divine love is what kindles and sustains the soul.

2. The Wordplay on Sukhtan (Burning)

Attar plays on two distinct meanings of 'burning' in Persian:

• Lover's Burning (Jan Sukhtan): Represents the painful, passionate longing and spiritual consuming of the soul in separation from the Beloved.
• Beloved's Burning (Del Sukhtan): A common Persian idiom ('heart burning') meaning to feel pity, sympathy, or compassion. The lover asks if the Beloved's heart will finally 'burn' (show me...