In the rose quatrains of Attar's Mokhtar Nameh, the rosewater-maker (گلابگر) serves as a recurring symbol of tyranny, suffering, and the harsh realities of existence. While the rose possesses delicate beauty and inner wealth (often symbolized by its golden stamens), the rosewater-maker subjects it to cruel processes—such as casting thorns in its path, placing it on fire, or violently extracting its essence. This motif contrasts the aesthetic appreciation of the rose with its painful destruction, often allegorizing the soul's suffering in the material world or the painful purification of the spirit.