Conference of the Birds: Attar
Translated by Sholeh Wolpe
W.W. Norton and Company
New York & London 2017
Written in twelfth-century Persian, this is a story, series of parables, allegorical poems and spiritual metaphors for a journey toward the Divine Presence, which Attar calls the Great Ocean. In the beginning of this journey, a large number of birds must endure many hardships designed to take the ego apart and push it into the background, which is the perception, belief and consciousness of separation. A fictional separation of Self and Other, as well as Self and God.
Foundational to the Sufis, is that the soul awaits it’s release from the body and world to return to the Source, the Creator, the Divine Presence. In this narrative, the birds of the world, metaphor for the Sufi mystics, gather to acknowledge the Great Simorgh, as their king and leader. This king dwells in Qafa, a mythical mountain of green emerald, that wraps around the world. The journey is led by the Hoopoe, a bird mentioned in the Quran as Soloman’s trusted messenger.
At the beginning of the journey, each of the birds shares with Hoopoe their excuses and fears for not coming along of this enterprise. The leader addressed all of these hesitations and then shares how they will have to cross the seven valleys between them and the Great Simorgh. These include a Valley of the Quest, where unbeliefs are cast aside; Valley of Love, where reason is tossed in favor of love; Valley of Knowledge, where worldly knowledge becomes useless; Valley of Detachment, where attachments to the world are broken; Valley of Unity, where they will discover the unity of being (see Ibn’ Arabi’s Unity of Being); Valley of Wonderment, where beauty and awe for the Creator and his creation is encountered; and finally the Valley of Poverty and Annihilation, where self-identity disappears, while infinity and eternity emerge.
Some outstanding quotes from the text:
“…you must control your ego monster
Fetter it with shackles and chains.”
“Trade in you rational mind for heart’s knowledge
And see how the beginning is the end.”
“…don’t yield to the ego,
That cyclone of calamities.”
“…make the Cave of Oneness your home.”
“The whispering of the (seven-headed) snake exiled you from Eden…
Until your crush that snake you will not deserve
To know the mysteries of the Path.
Free yourself from that ugly serpent
And Adam will welcome you back into Eden once more.”
“Drop your ego, for soaring high
Leaves you no place to go but down.
You love to ear the world’s carrion
And it has blinded you to inner vision.”
The Birds Confer and Make Excuses:
The Hoopoe spoke: “I am the Messenger Bird
For the Visible and the Invisible.”
“Many oceans and deserts lie between the Beloved and us.
Only the brave can be Wayfarers in the Path
For the journey is long and the waters deep.”
“If you are willing to give away your worldly existence
The Beloved will reward you with eternal existence.”
“ The Beloved is a grand ocean in which
The Garden of Paradise is but a tiny ball of dew.
If you have the Ocean, you have the drop.
Don’t settle for less, don’t seek anything but the Ocean.”
“If you want to be complete, then look for the whole.”
“When you become one with the Beloved
You will not become the Beloved, rather
You will be drowned in the Beloved.
“There is a difference between
Being absorbed and being possessed…
Once you comprehend whose shadow you are
You will be liberated, in death and in life.”
“Since no one has the capacity to see the Beloved’s face
That Gracious One has given us a mirror to gaze
At the reflection of that resplendent Face.
That mirror is the heart. Look for the Beloved there.”
“Love is the magnetic core that draws everything together
But beware. There is no perfect love without pain.
Angels hold love but no the pain;
Only mortals merit the pain of love.”
The Birds Begin Their Journey:
A bird asked: “Why is this road devoid of everything?”
The Hoopoe replied: “It’s because of the glory of the Beloved.”
The Birds Complain and Boast:
Parable of the Child and the Lamp:
“Your body is part; your soul is the whole.
Do not demean and debase body of soul.
First, your soul was created, and then your body.
When your soul received breath
Your limbs became manifest.
“Body is not separate from the soul; it’s a part of it.
Soul in not separate from the universe; it’s a part of it.
Since numbers and fractions have no meaning in the Eternal Road
How can there be any talk of whole or part?”
“What is the world’s occupation? Idleness.
What is idleness? Captivity.
The world is a wildfire that consumes all creatures.
When this fire rages, be lion-hearted to escape it/
Become a dearless tiger, reject this fire
Or else burn in it like a moth…
Surrounded by fire, it’s impossible not to burn;
Therefore, seek an asylum
Shelter you soul from the flames.”
“When you drown in the material world
You faith will not be able to rescue you
For it drowns too.”
The Birds Voice Their Fears:
“There exists an imperishable and eternal Beauty;
It is heresy not to go after it.
…Seek what is behind the veil;
There you will find true beauty.
…Be friends with the Invisible.”
“Every breath in this life is a jewel
Every atom in your being guides you toward the Beloved.
From head to toe all that you are comes from the that Giver.
Allow yourself the favors of the Friend.”
“When the end comes, even if you were the monarch of the world
Nothing you could say or do would save you from rejoining the earth.”
“If you’re thrilled at a desire fulfilled, don’t boast;
It is just a flash of joy.
If your mood darkens when things go wrong for you
Don’t cry; this too is fleeing.
If you are sent a torment of trouble
Known that it has been sent for your own good, not ill.
…That which seems like an affliction
Is a treasure to eyes that penetrate beyond the surface.”
The Birds Ask About the Beloved:
“This Path is not for everyone.
Detachment is enough provision for this journey.”
“You can’t set foot on the Path
Without cutting loose what leashes you to the world.”
“Disappear inside the Divine–
There you will find freedom.
There is nothing outside that unity.”
The Seven Valleys:
Of the Quest
Of Love
Of Knowledge
Of Detachment
Of Unity
“Since all is one, there is no two.
There in no me apart from you.”
Of Wonderment
Of Poverty and Annihilation
The Journey of the Birds:
They traveled for years…in the end, only a few survived.
Only thirty of thousands have survived to face the Simorgh.
“They saw the face of Simorgh, but in a reflection
And when they looked closer
They saw the reflection was their own:
Simorgh… si morgh…which means: thirty birds”
“All along, Simorgh was in fact si, thirty, morgh, birds.”