Items related to The Conference of the Birds (Ways of Mysticism)
Synopsis
The Conference of Birds is the most widely known and influential work of Farid Ud-Din Attar, a twelfth-century Persian poet and mystic of the school of Islamic mysticism known as Sufism. The poem starts with the Hoopoe addressing a gathering of birds, urging them to journey to visit his king, Simorgh. Simorgh, he claims, is the ultimate king and ruler of them all.
The subsequent journey is an allegory of the soul's search for unity with the divine. In Sufism the relationship between the seeker and God is similar to that between a lover and the beloved. In this consuming and transcendent love, the distinctions between self and the divine fall away. The stories in The Conference of Birds have captivated generations of readers, inspiring them to take their own spiritual journeys.
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Review
Like Rumi and Hafiz, the name Attar conjures up images of passionate attraction to the divine. Attar was a Persian Sufi of the 12th century and his masterpiece is The Conference of the Birds, an epic allegory of the seeker's journey to God. When all the birds of the world convene and determine that they lack a king, one bird steps forward and offers to lead them to a great and mighty monarch. Initially excited, each bird falters in turn, whereupon the leader admonishes them with well-targeted parables. These pithy tales are the delight of this 4,500-line poem, translated deftly into rhymed couplets. What is your excuse for not seeking God? Your life is fine already? You prefer material pleasure? You are holy enough? You have pride, lack courage, or are burdened with responsibility? Attar has an answer to encourage you on the path to the promised land. And when you get there, the king may not be what you'd expect, but you must make the journey to see. --Brian Bruya
About the Author
Dick Davis is currently professor of Persian at Ohio State University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His translations from Persian include The Lion and the Throne, Fathers and Sons, Sunset of Empire: Stories from the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, Vols. I, II, III.
Dick Davis is currently professor of Persian at Ohio State University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His translations from Persian include The Lion and the Throne, Fathers and Sons, Sunset of Empire: Stories from the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi, Vols. I, II, III.
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- PublisherContinuum Intl Pub Group
- Publication date2000
- ISBN 10 0826450008
- ISBN 13 9780826450005
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages160
- Rating
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