It is a story poem about thousands of birds who set out to find a King for their Kingdom. They cross seven valleys and each valley has a different name and significance. Some birds give up, some die, some decide to return, and many make excuses.

Finally, thirty birds make it through the journey, and when they reach the end they realize that the King or Simurgh they came to look for is merely a reflection of themselves!

In Farsi (the Persian language), "si" means thirty and "murgh" means bird, so... Fariduddin Attar the author, very cleverly named the King "Simurgh."

Therefore, thirty birds meet thirty birds and realize that we are all part of a whole. So, God is in us and we are in God, we are not separate from God. This is a very basic Sufi belief. 

Note: One of my favorite story poems, The Conference of the Birds was written by Fariduddin Attar. You can find a translation online or at a bookstore.

top