Cosmic Jealousy and Solar Superiority in Poem 19

In Poem 19 of Chapter 35 of the Mokhtar Nameh, Attar utilizes classic Persian poetic metaphors of celestial comparison to emphasize the absolute beauty of the beloved:

• The Sun-like Face: The beloved's face is equated to the sun, representing constant, supreme, and blinding light.
• The Moon's Inadequacy: The moon, usually a symbol of ultimate beauty, is depicted as being humbled. Beside the beloved's face, the moon 'does not show itself.'
• The Wandering and Changing Moon: The natural phases of the moon (waxing, waning, revolving) and its movement through the night sky ('wandering through the moonlight') are poetically reinterpreted as signs of restlessness and wandering caused by its jealousy of the beloved's superior radiance.