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Sufi allegorical poem · Medium

The Conference of the Birds

Farid ud-Din Attar · Late 12th century · Persian

The birds of the world set out to find the Simurgh, their true king. Their journey becomes a spiritual trial of fear, vanity, desire, exhaustion, and self-deception.

Notes and Misconceptions

This is not vague inspirational mysticism. The poem is often severe about the costs of transformation.

The ending is famous, but it should not be flattened into a simple slogan about finding the answer inside yourself.

Best Path

Spiritual classics, Persian literature, allegory

Tags

persiansufispiritualallegorypoetryjourneymysticismmedium