The Conference of the Birds
In Farid ud-Din Attar’s narrative epic, The Conference of the Birds, he writes of a group of birds who gather together to decide who should be their king. The hoopoe, which is the wisest bird, suggests that they seek the Simorgh, a mythical Persian bird thought to be quite marvelous. The hoopoe describes the Simorgh, saying,
We have a king; beyond Kaf’s mountain peak
The Simorgh lives, the Sovereign whom you seek,
And He is always near to us, though we
Live far from His transcendent majesty.”[1]
The Simorgh is made into a metaphor for God. The hoopoe declares, “Whoever can evade the Self transcends/This world and as a lover he ascends.”[2] However, even with the hoopoe’s descriptions of the Simorgh’s qualities, such as power, omnipotence, and magnificence[3], a number of birds are reluctant to go on the journey. They give a range of excuses that correspond with human character flaws. The hoopoe responds to the excuses in order to convince the birds to go on the journey, and in doing so explains why various character flaws inhibit spiritual enlightenment. Ultimately, the journey to find the Simorgh represents a spiritual journey for God and of the overcoming of the self.
My piece was created to symbolize a number of the birds in Attar’s poem. While it does not represent any single bird in the poem, it can be seen as alluding to several. Consider the duck’s excuse. She has never left her home and sees no reason to do so. She says, “Water’s the only home I’ve ever known;/Why should I care about this Simorgh’s throne?”[4] Another reference is to the partridge, who says,
[…]My one desireIs jewels;
I pick through quarries for their fire.They kindle my heart an answering blaze
Which satisfies me – though my wretched days
Are one long turmoil of anxiety.
Consider how I live, and let me be;
You cannot fight with one who sleeps and feeds
On precious stones, who is convinced he needs
No other goal in life…[5]
Such love of money is an impediment to spiritual actualization as it ties the bird to the material. Another bird, the homa, thinks, “the world should bask in my magnificence.”[6] The hoopoe replies that the homa is full of vanity and self-importance and that this behavior must be reckoned with on Judgment Day.[7] The owl’s excuse also involves wealth. He states that “[l]ove for the Simorgh is a childish story; My love is solely for gold’s buried glory.”[8] This idol-worshipping destroys faith and spiritual growth, thus inhibiting the bird from attaining spiritual realization.
In my project I show a bird made out of a dollar bill in a nest made of advertisements. The bird being made out of money symbolizes how a few of the birds in Attar’s poem (like the partridge and the owl) are invested in money rather than their spirituality. In place of self-actualization they seek jewels or gold. The modern equivalent is that of the average consumer who seeks and values financial success over anything else. Further, much like the partridge, many Americans recognize their anxiety and unhappiness over pursuit of money.
The nest made of advertisements can be seen as the home that the duck is reluctant to leave. She is comfortable in her life and sees no reason to do away with it. This also describes much of the modern world where people are content with their spiritually impoverished lives of consumption. Written on one of the advertisements that make up the nest are the words, “easy to swallow”. Such is the life of the duck and of many people today – living comfortable lives revolving around acquiring things, ingesting mass media, and being superficially happy.
[1] Attar un-Din Attar, The Conferences of the Birds, Trans. Afkham Darbandi and Dick Davis, (London: Penguin Classics, 2011), 43.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid. 44.
[4] Ibid. 51.
[5] Ibid. 52.
[6] Ibid. 54.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid. 59.