In Poem 36 of Chapter 23 of the Mokhtar Nameh, Attar of Nishapur expresses an intense, overwhelming fear of death and mortality through two primary symbols:

• The Sickle and Grain Cluster: The poet compares himself to a cluster of grain that fears the inevitable strike of the sickle. This agricultural metaphor represents the inescapable harvest of human lives by death.
• The Terrifying Valley: Attar refers to the transition of death or the path ahead as a difficult and terrifying valley. This symbolizes the arduous spiritual journey and the unknown trials that await the soul after departure from the physical world.

Through these vivid descriptions, the poem captures the profound existential anxiety of a seeker facing the inevitability of physical dissolution.