Farid ud-Din Attar

Book: The Conference of the birds

The thirty birds behold the Simorgh:

“The souls of the thirty birds dissolve in shame.

Then, their bodies turned to dust, they attained Life.

Purged of all, detached, liberated,

They were revitalized by the brilliance of His glory.

The bond that linked them to the Supreme Being

Was renewed; taking on a new life.

They were amazed by new manners.

All their past deeds and all their shortcomings

Vanished forever, erased from their hearts.

The radiant sun of Proximity

Shone from afar and illuminated their beings.

Then, in the reflection of the Simorgh of the worlds,

They saw, luminous, the sovereign Face.

They saw reflected thirty birds, the si morgh.

They saw that Simorgh was none other than themselves."

Farid al-Din Attar cleverly plays with the Persian word "Simorgh" by dividing it into "Si morgh," literally meaning "thirty birds." This ingenious duality explores the spiritual quest of the thirty birds in search of the Simorgh, creating a captivating metaphor where the search for self and the quest for divinity intertwine poetically. The fusion of these two meanings enriches the narrative with depth and allegory.

Painting by Mark Spain

Translated from Persian

Illustration by Laurent Guidali

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