Summary

In Chapter 35, Poem 63 of Attar's 'Mokhtar Nameh', the poet explores the contrasting yet unified effects of the beloved's ruby lips (la'l) and long tresses (zolf) on the lover's heart.

Key Themes

• The Sweetness of Ruby Lips: The beloved's ruby lips possess a sweetness so intense that they turn the lover's heart away from ordinary sugar, representing a shift from earthly or worldly pleasures to the divine sweetness of the beloved.
• The Entanglement of the Tresses: The beloved's tresses act as bonds that twist and capture the heart. The heart's state of twisting (tab) reflects both suffering and ecstatic entanglement.
• Desire for Deeper Bondage: Rather than seeking liberation from these bonds, the lover's heart asks for even more twists, highlighting the Sufi concept of welcoming affliction and submission in love.