14th April is appointed as the national day of Faridoddin Attar Neyshabouri, a prominent Persian figure.
Iran (IMNA) - Attar Neyshabouri was an Iranian poet and mystic from Nishapur who left a brilliant and lasting influence on Persian poetry.
His masterpiece is the Mantic at-Tayr which is known as the conference of the birds. In the poem, he describes a group of birds (manifestation of individual human souls) under the leadership of a hoopoe (spiritual master) who determine to search for the legendary Simurgh bird (God).
The birds must confront their own individual limitations and fears while journeying through seven valleys before they ultimately find the Simurgh and complete their quest.
The 30 birds who ultimately complete the quest discover that they themselves are the Simurgh they sought, playing on a pun in Persian (si and murgh can translate as 30 birds) while giving us an esoteric teaching on the presence of the Divine within us.
Attar beheaded in 1189 during the Mongolian invasion. His turquoise tomb, in Neishabour attracts many visitors throughout the year. let's enjoy one of his poems.
In the dead of night, a Sufi began to weep.
He said, "This world is like a closed coffin, in which
We are shut and in which, through our ignorance,
We spend our lives in folly and desolation.
When Death comes to open the lid of the coffin,
Each one who has wings will fly off to Eternity,
But those without will remain locked in the coffin.
So, my friends, before the lid of this coffin is taken off,
Do all you can to become a bird of the Way to God;
Do all you can to develop your wings and your feathers."
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