The Conference of the Birds

A poet wrote a famous story about birds.

The birds want to find a king. A wise bird leads them on a trip. They must cross seven valleys. This is a hard path. Some birds get sick or lost.

Only thirty birds finish the long trip. They find a great being named Simorgh. The name means thirty birds. The birds learn a big secret. They are the Simorgh. It is a beautiful story.

A poet named Attar wrote a famous Persian poem.

It is called The Conference of the Birds. In the story, birds gather to pick a king. They have no leader. A wise bird called a hoopoe helps them. The hoopoe says they must find the Simorgh. The Simorgh is a legendary being.

The birds must cross seven valleys to find the Simorgh. This trip is very hard. Some birds feel fear. Others get sick or die from the heat. Many birds do not make it. Only thirty birds reach the end.

At the end, the birds learn a big secret. They find out they are the Simorgh. In the Persian language, the name Simorgh means thirty birds. The birds see the Simorgh like the sun in a mirror. When they look in the mirror, they see themselves.

This poem uses symbols to tell stories. It can be both a lesson and fun to read. People have even made plays about this story. One play was made by Peter Brook. It was shown in many places like New York and Paris.

The Conference of the Birds is a famous Persian poem. It is also called Manṭiq-uṭ-Ṭayr. This story is a special kind of art. It uses symbols to teach people lessons. The poem is meant to be instructive and entertaining. People have loved this story for many centuries.

In the story, all the birds in the world gather together. They want to choose a king because they have no leader. A wise bird called the hoopoe suggests a plan. The birds must find a legendary being named the Simorgh. To get there, they must cross seven valleys. Each bird in the group represents a human fault. These faults can stop people from reaching enlightenment.

The journey is very hard and scary for the birds. Some birds feel such distress that they die of fright. Others perish from heat, thirst, or being sick. Some even fall prey to wild beasts or violence. Only thirty birds survive the long trip. When they arrive, they learn a great secret. The name Simorgh in Persian means thirty birds. They see the Simorgh like the sun in a mirror.

This poem was written by the poet Farid ud-Din Attar. People often call him Attar of Nishapur. He wrote this work around the year 1177. The title comes from the Qur’an. It mentions how Solomon and David learned the speech of birds. Attar used many subtle symbols in his writing. For example, he used China to symbolize mystic experience. This comes from a saying about seeking knowledge far away.

Many artists have used this poem for their own work. Peter Brook and Jean-Claude Carrière made a play in 1979. Brook toured a version of it in Africa in 1972. They showed the play in New York City and Paris. Another stage version was made by Sholeh Wolpe in 2018. You can also find beautiful old illustrations of the poem. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a manuscript from about 1600. It features paintings by Habiballah of Sava.

The Conference of the Birds is a profound Persian poem. It is also known by its Persian title, Manṭiq-uṭ-Ṭayr. This work is a central piece of Sufi literature. Sufism is a mystical branch of Islam. The poem serves as both an instructive and entertaining guide. It uses complex symbolism to explore the human condition. Through the journey of birds, it teaches readers about spiritual growth.

The poem's narrative mechanism relies on a grand allegory. The story begins when the birds of the world gather. They realize they have no sovereign to lead them. They decide to choose a new king. The hoopoe, recognized as the wisest bird, proposes a solution. He suggests they must find the legendary Simorgh. To reach this being, the birds must undergo a difficult process. They must travel across seven specific valleys. Each bird in the group represents a specific human fault. These faults are obstacles to attaining enlightenment.

The journey through the seven valleys is a perilous sequence. The birds face many different types of hardship. Some birds feel such intense distress that they die of fright. Others perish due to thirst, extreme heat, or illness. Some birds fall victim to wild beasts or violence. This difficult path tests the resolve of every traveler. The journey is designed to strip away the faults represented by the birds. Only those who endure the trials can reach the final destination.

The climax of the poem reveals a surprising truth. Out of all the birds, only thirty survive the journey. When they arrive at the abode of the Simorgh, they learn a secret. In the Persian language, the name "Simorgh" translates to "thirty birds." The word "si" means thirty, and "morgh" means bird. The birds realize they are the very thing they were seeking. They understand the majesty of the Beloved is like the sun. They see this majesty reflected in a mirror. However, they also see their own images in that same mirror.

Farid ud-Din Attar wrote this masterpiece around the year 1177. He is commonly known as Attar of Nishapur. The title of the poem is rooted in the Qur’an. Specifically, it refers to verse 27:16. This verse describes how Sulayman and Dāwūd were taught the speech of birds. This concept is known as manṭiq al-ṭayr. Attar was a master of using subtle allusions. For example, he uses China as a symbol for mystic experience. This is based on a Hadith about seeking knowledge as far as China.

The poem's influence extends into many modern art forms. In 1979, Peter Brook and Jean-Claude Carrière adapted it into a play. The play is titled La Conférence des oiseaux. Brook first toured embryonic versions of this play in Africa. This occurred during a visit to the continent in 1972 and 1973. He later presented successful productions in New York City and Paris. In 2018, Sholeh Wolpe created another stage adaptation. This version premiered in Oakland, California.

Visual artists have also captured the essence of this poem. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds a significant collection. They have a folio from an illustrated Persian manuscript. This manuscript dates back to approximately 1600. The paintings were created by Habiballah of Sava. He was an artist active between 1590 and 1610. These works use ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper. The dimensions of these pieces are roughly 25.4 by 11.4 centimeters. These illustrations help bring the birds' spiritual journey to life.