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After reading “The Conference of the Birds,” I was inspired to make a play on the story just as Ferdowsi does. The story follows the journey of 30 birds as they seek out the One whom may rule over them all. In Persian, the phrase for 30 birds is sī-morgh. The fantastical king of the birds that they are looking for is called the “Simorgh.” At the end of the tale, this play on words is realized as the 30 birds who journeyed far to find the Simorgh discover only their 30 reflections in a lake. It was not the end of the journey that was the reward for the birds, but the journey.

I will not dive into the true meaning of the story in this post, but will provide you with what it has inspired. The image below is a calligraphic trick similar to that of Ferdowsi. In black, we se the persian phrase for 30 birds, “سی مرغ.” This literally refers to the 30 birds who sought out their ruler and the mythical bird itself. Making up the body of the bird and turning the calligraphy into a bird is repetition of the Persian word for bird. Through this visual, individual “birds” really do make up the Simorgh. The multiple colors that make up the addition to the calligraphy are an important element of diversity in the drawing. The birds that make up the Simorgh are all different and offer a different trait and/or life lesson to the story. These differences should be represented not only through the many colors but also the multiple patterns that the bird’s body includes. Alone these components are random and meaningless, but placed in the context of the calligraphy–together they make up the Simorgh. A single bird with the meaning of 30. Not only this but also a representation of the lessons learned by the 30 who make up the 1 Simorgh, lessons through travel and lessons through their leader, the hoopoe.