Overview

In Chapter 35, Poem 49 of the Mokhtar Nameh, Attar utilizes the classic Persian literary motif of the beloved's long, winding tresses (zulf) to symbolize the infinite, complex, and ultimately unreachable nature of the divine.

Key Themes

• The Toll of Separation: The lover describes a constant state of suffering where 'no night passes without the soul reaching the lips' (a metaphor for being on the verge of death or extreme distress) and 'no day reaches night except in sorrow.' This emphasizes the absolute desolation of being separated from the beloved.
• The Unreachable Divine: The tresses are depicted as extremely long, yet the lover is in perpetual wonder as to why 'a hand does not reach them.' In Sufi symbolism, the beloved's hair represents the veil of multiplicity or the labyrinth of creation that obscures the divine essence. The inability to touch or reach the tresses represents the seeker's inability to fully grasp or merge with the divine myster...