The Conference of the Birds poem

The Conference of the Birds poem

The Conference of the Birds is a poem authored by Farid ud-Din Attar, a classical Persian poet. Its narrative highlights the concept of searching for divine fulfillment. It achieves this purpose by following a group of birds through their journey to discover their king, the Mighty Simorgh. The king is a symbolic character that is representative of all that is good about humanity; hence, what all persons should seek to achieve. The birds must pass through obstacles on their way to find their king. A series of seven valleys represent the challenges they are bound to face. The underlying theme in the poem is that for a person to obtain fulfillment, they must deconstruct their existing beliefs and practices. In this essay, an assessment of the allegorical players and what they represent will occur. Additionally, an examination of the soul-searching journey, as presented in the parables, will take place.

One of the major symbolic characters in the parables is Hoopoe. Hoopoe is one of the birds making the journey toward enlightenment. This bird is depicted as being the wisest of the entire flock. Consequently, he becomes their de facto leader in their quest to finding Simorgh. The poem is centered on Hoopoe’s advice, commentaries, and criticisms of the other birds and characters. For the birds on the trip, he is their ultimate source of wisdom; thus, they regularly ask him questions whose answers form the basis of the poem. As an illustration of Hoopoe’s wisdom, in the analysis section of the poem, it is stated, “if a tale seems resistant to interpretation, the first thing to do is to turn the page back and reread the hoopoe’s initial words” (xv). Hoopoe represents a sheikh. In the Islamic religion, a sheikh is a person that commands honor and authority. Accordingly, they are responsible for providing guidance and advice to their followers.

Another allegorical character in the poem is Simorgh. None of the birds in the flock has ever come across the mystical figure they presume to be their God. This occurrence makes the journey more pressing to the birds. However, Simorgh ends up not being an actual bird, as many of Hoopoe’s followers had anticipated. Instead, he only acts as a symbol of enlightenment. When the birds reached their king’s court, they discovered that they had all along possessed Simorgh in their inner lives. While at the court, Simorgh takes them to a lake when they see a reflection of Simorgh in themselves. This factor is indicative that whatever is good about humanity and divine superiority can be found within an individual. However, one needs to make a purposeful commitment to deconstruct their idea of self and to embrace new perspectives about life, including developing a passionate love. The notions of ‘destroying oneself’ and having a ‘passionate love’ are foundational principles in Sufism, which is the basis for the poem.

The dog is also a vital allegory in the poem’s parable of “the sheikh and the dog.” It represents humility and poverty. In the parable, when a stray dog moves towards the sheikh, the latter does not attempt to evade or scare it away. When asked by his students what he did so, the sheikh held that we are all equal, for the dog might be knowledgeable of some aspects which might not be evident to the sheikh and vice versa (165). The dog must also be evaluated within the context of the analogy of gold, as used in the poem. In one of the parables, the dog is adorned with a gold collar representing God’s memory. Accordingly, this aspect highlights the importance of the dog in the world of the divine, despite the tendency to perceive it as a lowly creature. Additionally, Sufi doctrine asserts that the “socially inferior” person is the one that represents the superior deity (xvii). The symbolism of the dog illustrates the value of humility in Sufism and humanity, as portrayed in the poem.

The seven valleys on the way to Simorgh’s court are another significant aspect of the poem. While they are not characters per se, they nonetheless constitute a vital part of the parables. The valleys represent the challenges that individuals must face in their search for divinity. The valley of the quest represents the need to abandon one’s existing beliefs if one hopes to achieve enlightenment. The valley of love reiterates the need for one to abandon reason (as it relates to worldly dogma), and in its stead, to embrace passionate love — a key route to the divine in Sufism. The valley of the insight into mystery illustrates the need to forfeit worldly wisdom since it acts as a hindrance toward achieving enlightenment. The valley of detachment contends that people must disassociate themselves from material and worldly possessions. For instance, Hoopoe admonishes a merchant’s view that their material possession gives them a superior position when compared to the rest. The valley of unity showcases the interconnectedness between all the earthly and heavenly aspects. Consequently, a person must note that their actions in one realm influence the other; hence, the need to align their actions with what is acceptable to God. The valley of bewilderment illustrates the beauty of the world of enlightenment. Eventually, the valley of poverty and nothingness highlights the need for an individual to derive satisfaction from possessing nothing other than the divine knowledge.

The parable suggests that contemporary human life is devoid of its true potential, especially regarding its proximity to a person’s spiritual needs. However, the poet indicates that it is possible to change this course by making a deliberate effort to achieve enlightenment. Nonetheless, Attar also contends that the journey toward the divine is full of challenges that a person must be willing to bear if they are to become one with Simorgh. Consequently, the central theme of the poem is that divinity and enlightenment lie within everyone; however, to attain this status, a person must be willing to undertake significant sacrifices as represented by the seven valleys. More importantly, an individual should be ready to deconstruct their concept of ‘self’ and be prepared to embrace passionate love and humility as their guiding principles.

Nevertheless, several obstacles may block the soul’s journey on its path to God. One of the main stumbling blocks is excessive self-love. Concerning the parable of the bird that claims to be satisfied with his spiritual state, Hoopoe responds, “Hell’s pride has filled your soul” (162-163). Hoopoe implies that the pride has led to the bird being lost in self-love, a factor that makes the latter’s goals short-sighted and devoid of knowledgeable insights. This aspect reflects the valley of insight into a mystery, which illustrates that worldly knowledge is inherently limited in enabling a person to achieve enlightenment, and by extension, reaching the destination to God. Further, it also showcases the lessons of the parable of Sheikh Abu Bakr’s indictment for his claim of self-satisfaction. Essentially, an individual cannot possess all the knowledge necessary to become one with God; therefore, one needs to be open-minded and willing to learn as represented by the valley of the quest. Further, it is critical to understand the value of interconnectedness of humanity because of the impracticality of self-satisfaction. Accordingly, the failure to perceive humankind and the divine as being outcomes of interdependence is another obstacle to the soul’s journey to God. Another stumbling block is the lack of humility. From the poem, it is evident that divinity dwells in the humble as highlighted in the allegory of a dog with a golden collar.

Hoopoe’s advice forms the foundation of the poem. Hoopoe is symbolic of a sheikh who offers guidance to followers. Consequently, the parable might be encouraging individuals to follow the advice of persons of authority, wisdom, and honor in society if they hope to attain enlightenment. This advice is valuable in helping the soul’s journey on its path because it acts as a reminder of one’s inadequacy in the pursuit of eternity. Instead, one must be open to learning new doctrines and values. These lessons reflect the underlying theme of the poem that for a person to obtain fulfillment, they must deconstruct their existing beliefs and practices.

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