Product Description

This 12th century Persian poet's work tells of the journey of the birds to visit King Simorgh. Their journey is an allegory of the soul's search for unity with the divine. Sufic belief is that in such unity the distinctions between self and the divine fall away.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #220405 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .52" h x 7.14" w x 8.46" l, .95 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 96 pages

From Amazon.co.uk
Like "Rumi" and "Hafiz", the name "Attar" conjures up images of passionate attraction to the divine. A Persian Sufi of the 12th century, Attar's masterpiece is the Conference of the Birds, an epic allegory of the seeker's journey to God. When all the birds of the world convene and determine that they lack a king, one bird stands forth and offers to lead them to a great and mighty monarch. Initially excited, each bird falters in turn, whereupon their leader admonishes them with well-targeted parables. These pithy tales are the delight of this four-and-a-half thousand line poem, translated deftly into rhymed couplets. What is your excuse for not seeking God--your life is fine already, you prefer material pleasure, you aren't holy enough, you have pride, lack courage or are burdened with responsibility? Attar has an answer to encourage you on the path. And when you get to the promised land, who is the king that you will find? It may not be who you would expect, but you must make the journey to see. --Brian Bruya

Ingram
A prose translation of a greatly renowned Sufi poem is a fable composed of many delightful and amusing tales-within-a-tale that serves as an allegory of the soul's journey to union with God. Its author, the 12th-century Persian poet and spiritual master Attar, is one of the most influential figures in Sufism, the mystical movement that arose from Islam.