The Conference of the Birds is a series of poems written in the middle of the 12th century by Iranian poet Farid ud-Din Attar. The author was such a revered man that a monument was erected after his death in the late 12th century. His grave is visited nowadays by admirers of ancient Iranian culture. The cycle of poems tells about how the birds, representing seekers of enlightenment and union with the Divine, prepare for a pilgrimage to the magical valley where the Simurgh, who represents the Supreme God, lives. Some birds do not want to fly, for various reasons, and the hoopoe, which was believed to have supernatural medicinal powers by medieval Arabs, answers the birds with parables. This paper analyses parables that encourage the truth-seekers to pay more attention to God than themselves to reach enlightenment.
The first analyzed parable is named “How Sheikh Abou Bakr’s self-satisfaction was reproved.” It illustrates the answer of the hoopoe to the bird that was overly satisfied with itself, and did not want to leave its home, and go to the roaming deserts since it has already suffered enough and seen too much (Farid ud-Din 208:2908-19). The hoopoe said that the bird is deceived by selfhood, and will not see the color of the sky in such a mood.
Sheikh Abou Bakr, his donkey, and one of the sheikh’s disciples are the players in the parable. The sheikh represents all the people with similar flaws, and the donkey seems to represent the sheikh’s ego. The sheikh is utterly upset and starts to tear his clothes after he hears his donkey’s sudden and loud fart. This comic situation seems tragic to the sheikh as at the moment it happened he was asking God to give him a sign that will prove the sheikh’s greatness. So the sheikh did not expect such a sign, and the parable teaches the spirit-seekers not to be overly immersed in themselves and their imaginary goodness and not to lose ground. In other words, the parable advises the truth seekers to pay more attention to God and the outer world than themselves.
The second parable is named “The devil’s secret,” and in it, Moses speaks to the devil, asking him to reveal his secret after God commanded Moses to do so. Moses represents the truth seekers, and the devil represents himself. The devil says that his dark secret is saying “me” and being focused on himself (Farid ud-Din 210:2920-41). He advises Moses to never do so since this way leads only to devastation and facing a hundred “I’s” the moment one says “I.” The hoopoe likely suggests the birds not to be like the devil, but to be like Moses. This parable has similarities with the previous one as it suggests that one should not think and speak too much of oneself, and pay more attention to God, as Moses does.
The third parable, “The sheikh and the dog,” describes the episode about the sheikh, stray dog, and the passer-by. The sheikh represents seekers of truth, the dog represents rude people stuck in vice, as well as everything impure in the world, and the passer-by represents people who are not seekers of ascetic truth but simply live by healthy human rules. In the parable, the sheikh does not push away the filthy stray dog but stays calm as it approaches. The passer-by is surprised, and the sheikh explains that although the dog is dirty, there is also dirt in his soul, and it is reflected in the dog’s dirt. The sheikh adds that no matter how big his sins are – whether they are akin to the straw or the mountain top, these sins still make him stop.
This parable is less similar to the previous two poems. It implies that there is no limit to perfection and advises the truth-seekers not to push away the filth but to stay calm and watch it. This can mean that there is God in every atom, and although a person can be more inclined to contemplate attractive things, denial or detachment from even a part of life distances the spirit seekers from God.
“The anchorite who loved his beard” is another parable from the cycle. An anchorite, Moses, God, and Gabriel are players of the parable. The anchorite represents the truth-seekers, being frivolous, pay more attention to secular affairs and the significance of their own ego, which is metaphorically represented in the form of a beard. The parable tells the story of an anchorite who was surprised that God does not encourage his spiritual attempts (Farid ud-Din 212:2959-74). When Moses asked God why the anchorite was not getting enough attention, God replied that an anchorite was more interested in his own beard than in prayers.
After the anchorite learned the answer, he pathetically tore out his beard, whereupon the archangel Gabriel appeared to him and remarked that such behavior still indicated a greater focus on his ego – that is, his beard. But if an anchorite enters the sea of human suffering with such a heavy beard, he will not be able to reach the shore. Therefore, the hoopoe is suggesting that if a person pays less attention to their ego, they will be able to overcome the sea of human sorrow. This parable is similar to the previous ones in that it condemns excessive narcissism, and reminds seekers of truth to look more at God and learn from him.
Thus, the analysis of the parables was presented, detailing how the verses encourage the truth-seekers to pay more attention to God to reach enlightenment. In the first parable, the spirit-seekers are suggested not to rise too high above the clouds not to lose the feeling of solid ground. In the second parable it is advised that truth seekers should speak and think of God, not themselves. In the third parable, it is implied that one should not push away unsightly aspects of life but remain calm in the face of troubles.
Work Cited
Attar, Farid ud-Din. The Conference of the Birds. Penguin UK, 1984.