The Conference of the Birds (Penguin Classics)

This is a really excellent work. The poetry done in couplets evokes the spirit of the Persian original, also in couplets. Like other verse translations, it is not able to be absolutely faithful to the original, but I would still say it is a fine work in conveying the gist and spirit of the original poem. I think also, standing on its own, it is a quite remarkable poem in English by itself.There is one really odd thing here, though, about the way it is listed on Amazon. That is, this is the revised edition of 2011 and not the original edition of 1984. For some reason this distinction is not brought out, even though the book itself states on the back of the title page and on the back cover that it is a revised edition. The 1984 edition lacks both the prologue and the epilogue of the original, a problem which has been remedied by the 2011 revision. Also, the revised edition provides the numbering of the verses translated on each page, which the 1984 edition lacks. One needs to be sure that one is getting the right edition, and the 2011 one is far better than the 1984 one.

Farid ud-Din Attar, also known as Attar of Nishapur, a Persian poet, was born in Nishapur, Iran in 1145. In his early career as a pharmacist, he helped many people in his home town. Later he abandoned his pharmacy and traveling to different countries became his intense interest. After meeting some Sufi leaders in India, he started promoting Sufi ideas as he returned to Nishapur. Attar's master piece, "The Conference of the Birds", is a poetic moral story of a flock of birds in the journey of seeking truth, the God. With aimless life style, birds around the world gather in a garden try to find out if there is a meaning in life and if there is a God. An intelligent bird, called hoopoe, led these birds and started their long journey of searching for truth, the meaning of existence. By using riddles and answers, hoopoe advised and encouraged all birds to be brave, grateful and to be truthful. Life is not an easy game and we all live to be reborn and we are born to learn how to live a fulfilling life.Translated by Afkham Darbandi(Davis's wife) and Dr. Dick Davis, this exceptional book catches man's heart for almost one thousand years. If you like Rumi and Hafez, you will enjoy this book much more profoundly. As a poem, it is exquisite and spectacular; as an epic allegory of seeking God, it is majestic and noble; as a spiritual guidance, this book leads you to your intellectual self. I read this book many years ago and at that time I was mainly focusing on the spiritual part of the book. After becoming a serious birder, revisit of this book brought me to a higher level of realization. I consider myself a fast reader. However, this is not a book you will want to read without a thought or many thoughts. You need to read this book like tasting a good wine and, you will swallow its essence only when you understand life should be embraced with love not hate, with peace not war.Happy birding and happy reading!WingsSpirit.com

Ask a well-educated Iranian for advice on reading the Persian classics and high on his/her list will likely be "The Conference of the Birds," a medieval poetic allegory written by Farid ud-Din Attar. Attar began his professional life as a well-educated pharmacist, and, after some years of listening to the cares and concerns of his patients, devoted himself instead to travel and the study of philosophy. These travels, which extended throughout the Middle East, Turkistan, and India, left him most profoundly impressed by the Sufi approach to Islam and culminated in the writing of "The Conference of the Birds." This lengthy verse poem tells of the search of the world's birds for a magical leader, symbolizing the quest of the human soul for unity with the Supreme Being.Precisely who among the Sufi philosophers and authors of his age most influenced Attar is not well documented, but there is no doubt of the the impact he in turn would have on the work of Rumi and Hafez, the Sufi poets today best known in the West. To further round out your appreciation of the impact that Attar's classic has had over the centuries, treat yourself to the recently published "The Canticle of the Birds: Illustrated Through Persian and Eastern Islamic Art." In this expensive but exquisitely illustrated volume, Dr. Michael Barry of Princeton University has brought to bear his deep knowledge of Persian, Central Asian, and Indian art and thought.

I can't compare this poem to the original Farsi as I don't read that language, but this translation is amazingly readable. The reader gets enough notes and extra information to understand a bit of the context, but it never interferes with immersing oneself in this allegory of the journey toward union with the divine beloved. The individual birds on this journey come to life for the reader and the 13th century narrative literally takes off!

I lost this book while moving, and had somewhat forgotten about it, when I saw a Youtube from Let's talk religion, and ordered it again. Only minus is the small print. the translation of this version is much better than the one I remember, because it is poetical. The old one was just plain text.

This book blew me away. I had to read it for an English Lit class I took in university and I ended up keeping it in my personal library to read for my spiritual development. My interpretation of this story is that the birds of all kinds (representing people of the world) all have to go on this journey (a metaphor for life) that will be difficult and if they make it through they will become one with the Simorg (not sure what that is but I took it to mean that they will be transferred to a better place; a higher level of spirituality and intellect). The hoopoe bird is very wise and gives the other birds words of leadership and wisdon. If you are a spiritual person, I would recommend this book.

At first I was excited, because, wow, it even rhymes, even though it is a translated work. But then, it seemed like something was wrong. In order to rhyme, much coherence was lost. The only reason I could figure out what was going on, was because I already knew the story. Many of the terms seemed outdated. It appears to be an abridged translation. And, why isn't the main bird character a hoopoe, like in other versions. The newer translation by Sholeh Wolpe is better. It doesn't rhyme, but it is much easier to understand what Attar is saying.

「PROLOGUE」に記されている文章が実に興味深い。聖預言者ムハムマッドが世界と信仰の主。これが、イランのスーフィズムの根幹にあることに驚かされる。なぜならば、通常のイスラム教の理解では、イスラム教の主は唯一の神アッラーと決まっているからである。そして、イランに伝わるゾロアスター教の理解がイスラム教として伝わっていることにも驚かされる。その例文を紹介しよう。And when God saw this perfect light, He lit a hundred further seas of light from it;He made him for Himself, and then created for him the world that he illuminated -Creation has no gorl but him, and he remains unrivalled in his purity.The first thing to emerge from darkest night was, without doubt, his pure refulgent light;From this there came the world, heaven's throne, the pen and tablet that record the fates of men;A trace of this light made the world, a trace created Adam and the human race.創造を行った神（God）を善神アフラ・マズダーだと理解すれば、善の世界と悪の世界の両方に名前が記されている預言者ムハムマッドは悪神アンラ・マンユとなり、その悪神アンラ・マンユの無知に向かって世界の創造が行われたとするゾロアスター教の神話が見えてくる。まず最初には、悪神アンラ・マンユは善神アフラ・マズダーの存在に気がつかなかったとされるので、最初に完全な光（perfect light）を見たのは善神アフラ・マズダーのほうである。それをプラス思考的に解釈しているのがイランのスーフィズムだとすれば、イスラム教とゾロアスター教の結びつきも見えてくる。イランのスーフィズムを理解するには、本文の「THE CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS」だけでは足りない。理解の核心部分は、「PROLOGUE」にある。クルド人が孔雀天使と崇める孔雀（peacock）の紹介文には、次のように書いてある。このようにして、中東のイスラム教の理解は複雑怪奇な神秘主義として結びついている。Destroy its ugly charm and Adam then will welcome you to paradise again.

Les ecrits d'Attar sont divinement sublimes et vacillent dans les metaphores entre l'amour inter-humain et l'amour en vers Dieu. Je reste convaincu qu'il fait parti des Awliyas; que dis-je... j'aurais voulu plonger dans la voie et y progresser autant qu'il a pu le faire grace a l'Unique.

Good

A very inspiring poem, although sometimes difficult to understand.

Exquisite translation, profound epic poem. A masterpiece of Sufi literature.