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45. The Conference of the Birds.
There are so many roads, and each is fit
For that one pilgrim who must follow it.
How could a spider or a tiny ant
Tread the same path as some huge elephant?
Each pilgrim’s progress is commensurate
With his specific qualities and state
(No matter how it strives, what gnat could fly
As swiftly as the winds that scour the sky?)
Our pathways differ—no bird ever knows
The secret route by which another goes.
Our insight comes to us by different signs;
One prays in mosques and one in idols’ shrines—
But when Truth’s sunlight clears the upper air,
Each pilgrim sees that he is welcomed there.
The Conference of the Birds, by the medieval Persian poet Farid ud-Din
Attar, tells the story of a group of birds seeking a king—or perhaps seeking
spiritual enlightenment. They elect a wise hoopoe to guide them to the
fabulous Simorgh. The hoopoe’s description of the difficult journey ahead
weaves in many parables, tales about Sufi mystics, figures from the Quran, and
historical people like Aristotle and Socrates. Suzanne and Chris discuss how
this book has been read—as spiritual guide, or as a collection of well told
stories—and about the possibilities opened up by the poem.
Show Notes.
Attar: The Conference of the Birds [Dick Davis and
Afkham Darbandi translation].
[Bookshop.] [Another
translation by Sholeh Wolpé.]
The Tomb of Attar.
Attar: Memories of the Saints [here translated as
Memories of Gods’ Friends].
Apophatic theology.
Hallaj.
The Simorgh.
Murmurations.
The masnawi poetic form.
Layla and Majnun.
Shebli.
Our episode on Persepolis.
Rozina Ali: “The Erasure of Islam from the poetry of
Rumi”.
Daniel Heath Justice: Raccoon (and
Badger).
Bernie Krause: The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in
the World's Wild Places.
Next: Marian Engel: Bear.
[Bookshop.]
Support The Spouter-Inn and chat books with
us on a members-only Slack.
View all episodes
By Suzanne Conklin Akbari and Chris Piuma
4.8
3030 ratings
There are so many roads, and each is fit
For that one pilgrim who must follow it.
How could a spider or a tiny ant
Tread the same path as some huge elephant?
Each pilgrim’s progress is commensurate
With his specific qualities and state
(No matter how it strives, what gnat could fly
As swiftly as the winds that scour the sky?)
Our pathways differ—no bird ever knows
The secret route by which another goes.
Our insight comes to us by different signs;
One prays in mosques and one in idols’ shrines—
But when Truth’s sunlight clears the upper air,
Each pilgrim sees that he is welcomed there.
The Conference of the Birds, by the medieval Persian poet Farid ud-Din
Attar, tells the story of a group of birds seeking a king—or perhaps seeking
spiritual enlightenment. They elect a wise hoopoe to guide them to the
fabulous Simorgh. The hoopoe’s description of the difficult journey ahead
weaves in many parables, tales about Sufi mystics, figures from the Quran, and
historical people like Aristotle and Socrates. Suzanne and Chris discuss how
this book has been read—as spiritual guide, or as a collection of well told
stories—and about the possibilities opened up by the poem.
Show Notes.
Attar: The Conference of the Birds [Dick Davis and
Afkham Darbandi translation].
[Bookshop.] [Another
translation by Sholeh Wolpé.]
The Tomb of Attar.
Attar: Memories of the Saints [here translated as
Memories of Gods’ Friends].
Apophatic theology.
Hallaj.
The Simorgh.
Murmurations.
The masnawi poetic form.
Layla and Majnun.
Shebli.
Our episode on Persepolis.
Rozina Ali: “The Erasure of Islam from the poetry of
Rumi”.
Daniel Heath Justice: Raccoon (and
Badger).
Bernie Krause: The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in
the World's Wild Places.
Next: Marian Engel: Bear.
[Bookshop.]
Support The Spouter-Inn and chat books with
us on a members-only Slack.
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