for the birds

In a recent post on Medium we wrote about the Sufi poem of Attar, "The Conference of the Birds." It has fascinated writers from Rumi to Borges and been translated throughout the ages by many expert authors.

There are many examples of such subtle symbols and allusions throughout the Mantiq Ut-Tair. Within the larger context of the story of the journey of the birds, Attar masterfully tells the reader many didactic short, sweet stories in captivating poetic style.

The latest translation in 2017 by Sholeh Wolpé strives to make Attar’s unorthodox and mystical vision accessible to contemporary Western readers.

The Conference of the Birds, translated by Afkham Darbandi and Dick Davis, Penguin Classics 1984, re-edited as The Canticle of the Birds, Diane de Sellier Éditeur, 2013.

Conference of the Birds: A Seeker's Journey to God, translation by Harvey & Masani, Weiser Books, 2001.

The Speech of the Birds, translated by Peter Avery, Islamic Texts Society, 1998.

The Conference of The Birds - Mantiq Ut-Tair, translation by Charles Stanley Nott, first published 1954 by The Janus Press, London, reissued by Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd, 1961.

Bird Parliament, “A Bird's-Eye view of the Bird Parliament” by Edward FitzGerald, 1889.

Once on a time from all the Circles seven

Between the steadfast Earth and rolling Heaven

THE BIRDS, of all Note, Plumage, and Degree, That float in Air, and roost upon the Tree; And they that from the Waters snatch their Meat, And they that scour the Desert with long Feet; Birds of all Natures, known or not to Man

Habiballah of Sava ca. 1610

The parables in this book trigger memories deep within us all. The stories inhabit the imagination, and slowly over time, their wisdom trickles down into the heart. The process of absorption is unique to every individual, as is each person’s journey.

We are the birds in the story. All of us have our own ideas and ideals, our own fears and anxieties, as we hold on to our own version of the truth. Like the birds of this story, we may take flight together, but the journey itself will be different for each of us. Attar tells us that truth is not static, and that we each tread a path according to our own capacity.

It evolves as we evolve. Those who are trapped within their own dogma, clinging to hardened beliefs or faith, are deprived of the journey toward the unfathomable Divine, which Attar calls the Great Ocean. ~ Sholeh Wolpé