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Conference of the Birds: A Philosophical Religious Poem in Prose

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I have been a reader of this text for years, typically the C.S. Nott translation (prose style).
In comparison, I find this text quite difficult to "get into", what with the problem of
rhyming Persian poetry in English. In Persian, the majority of words rhyme, either in
their dominant vowels or their endings, because of the way the language is
constructed. Since English does not have this, there are far fewer rhymes available,
and so trying to duplicate the Persian leads to either changes in the meaning, or
changes in the phraseology. For those who want to read the insights contained in
this book, I highly recommend a prose translation.

Mr. Davis' translation of Attar's masterpiece is indeed very good and as it has the cachet of appearing in the Penguin series I hope that it will lead more Westerners to take Middle Eastern, particularly Persian, language and culture more seriously. While Islamic spirituality has been in vogue in some circles over the last couple of decades (witness the popularity of Rumi), its audience unfortunately tends to consist of seekers of exotic spirituality rather than people who are willing to put in the spade work to understand the cultural context in which this spirituality came into existence.

No doubt there was a time when I would have been in spiritual raptures over this book. At my age, however (I'll be 51 next month) I am less inclined to expect much direct spiritual benefit from a book, but I like to think that I can appreciate a good piece of literature when I read it. Attar is indeed good literature, and Mr. Davis' translation is simple and balanced, with a feeling of intimacy that mirrors Attar's style. It is never overworked or sentimental - if you're expecting Fitzgerald's Khayyam you'll be disappointed.

As for the Sufic interpretations of the content (how profound! how obscure!) I must admit that the more I read of such things the less I understand them. On first reading at least, I suggest to the reader to let the book stand on its own merits as literature, and only afterwards seek any hidden meaning.

A truly exceptional book - so captivating in translation it must have been exceptional in the original Persian. Attar's verse focusses on a flock of birds who decide they are in need of a King - but who should it be? Thus begins their quest for a leader and it becomes clear each bird represents a human archetype, personifying vices but also acting as the dramatic vehicle for the inner struggles which each human being experiences in life.

The Hoopoe (the legendary bird resident at the Court of King Solomon) is their guide and by turns admonishes, encourages and advises each bird on its quest to reach the Ultimate, the King of the Birds, known as the Simorgh. It is clear that each 'bird' in Attar's verse could be a (indeed, is, in allegory) a person, but what is the Simorgh? And how does one reach the Simorgh? Such is the question which the birds (and the reader) endeavour to find answers to as the poem progresses.

In beautiful allegorical verse, Attar leads the reader to the conclusion that eternal happiness and can only be achieved through Divine Love, but that the latter can only be attained through sacrifice of the Self (ie the ego) and steadfastness. The road is hard and long, the Hoopoe never ceases to remind his companions, but the reward represents the zenith of human experience.

The Hoopoe is obviously a Sufi Master (surprise, surprise so was Attar himself) and the birds are the members of the Sufi Order, but let not the taxonomy of Islamic mysticism be a barrier to reading this poem. Anyone at home with English verse register and the ability to appreciate the abstract, the intangible, the uncertain and the unseen must surely warm to this book.

The writings of the Sufis are, without a doubt, some of the most beautiful and challenging spiritual works in existence. Rumi's works are currently undergoing something of a renaissance in the Western world but the name of Farid Ud-Din Attar is not as well known. This is unfortunate, since The Conference of the Birds provides, in my opinion, a much better insight into Sufi philosophy than the bits and pieces of Rumi floating about the New Age universe.

Attar's beautiful descpriptions, exqisite metaphors and delightful parables describe the stages on the soul's journey to union with God. An extended metaphor for the soul, the birds gather and travel through various valleys to reach the Simorgh - a state of ectstatic oneness with deity. The Hoopoe acts as the guide and provides answers to the bird's questions and doubts about the journey - usually with short illustrative tales. These tales are each tiny drops of gold, the longest being only a few hundred lines. The overarching theme is the denial of the self to gain ultimate bliss. This is no intellectual exercise and much of the advice given is shocking and revolutionary. In the extended tale of Sheik Sam'an, the Sheik leaves his faith and becomes a Christian for the love of a woman who ultimately spurns him. His apostasy and depravity astound his followers who swiftly abandon him. A Sufi teacher chastises them for their lack of faith and eventually they return to his side. Sam'an then reconverts and his love is converted too. The message would seem to be that to find God it may be necessary to abandon conventional notions of behaviour and faith and plunge forward with wild abandon, losing the self. Some of the stories may shock our sensibilities, and no doubt had the same effect on Attar's medieval audiences. A kind of counter-culture attitude is displayed in the book, with tales of romantic love between men and other "un-Islamic" behaviours challenging accepted norms.

As to the book itself, the translation is done in "heroic couplets" which according to the introduction, best suits the style of the arabic original. It at first seems a little stilted but soon lends a beauty of its own to the work. A fairly substantial introduction helps put the book in context and describes what is known of Attar's life and times. A biographical index is included which provides details on the many characters - often historical - who people the pages of the poem. This book is a beautiful little gem, filled with a lot of wisdom. It is definitely worth the read for members of any faith, even those who aren't practicing Sufis.

Conference of the Birds as a poem is spectacular; as an allegory for any seeker of the Divine, it is sublime. Although Sufi in form, I think it transcends religions and provides, as it were, a spiritual blueprint or goal for the seeker. This is going to be my Eid-al-Fitr gift to friends this year.

This is simply one of the best books I have ever read. Everytime I lend it to someone, I don't see it again, I would have to buy another copy. Make sure you get the poetic/prose version by Afkham Durbandi.

Dick Davis's translation is more than extraordinary -- it is truly a miracle to see the beauty, eloquence and flow of this masterpiece richly rendered into the English language with rhyme and meter. A must in the collection of any sincere seeker of the Creator.

I shed tears of sorrow when I read the story of the grand Shaikh, a master of the outward and inward Islamic sciences who, tortured by the pangs of love's uncontrolable fire, recounces his faith. What follows is so beautifull that it can only be captured by reading the book!!!

This book is a masterpiece on spirituality, self-search, self-identity and self-realization. It provides an unparallel and wonderful guide for reaching to oneself and God. The wonderful philosophy of Attar has the potential to change the world from greed, violence and chaos to self-discipline, love and peace. The book has the capacity to transform the mindsets of fidels and infidels alike to become the master of one's own persona. The book is a must read for anyone interested to know oneself and the world.

Thousands of birds (ordinary mortals) gather under the leadership of Hoopoe (Dervish) and set out for a long journey in search of simorgh, their king. As the journey starts the birds come up with various excuses to avoid the long and treacherous journey while Hoopoe admonishes and advices them using witty anecdotes and parables. Finally, after having withstood the tribulations of the journey, after having crossed the seven valleys, a dedicated few of them reach their destination and, overcoming the initial confusion and bewilderment, meet their king. Thus the search for simorgh ends with thirty of them meeting the si morgh and life's secret is revealed to them.

This work is a beautiful allegory depicting the human condition and suggests the route to eternal happiness by eliminating the Self, focusing on Divine love and by understanding the notion of Unity with the Divine. It also provides a gentle introduction to the Sufi metaphysics or, at least, the branch followed by Attar. From Khayyam, who is also considered to be a Sufi, you will hear an interpretation that is polar opposite.