The Conference of the Birds

Abstract: Mantiq Ut-tair, The Conference of the Birds, was composed in the twelfth century by the Persian poet, Farid ud-Din Attar, in the form of an allegorical poem, based on the teaching of the Sufis, of whom Attar was one of the greatest. The book is, as Attar says, ‘A gift for distinguished men and a boon for the common’. Translation: This translation by C. S. Nott was first published in 1954 and at that time only two partial translations were available in England. Stanley Nott’s rendering from the French prose translation of Garcin de Tassy is virtually complete, and as such was the first to appear in English. Garcin de Tassy’s translation is as he says, ‘as literal as I have been able to make it intelligible’. He has also retained the flavour, the spirit, and the teaching of Attar’s poem. The brush drawings by Kate Adamson are based on those in an ancient Persian manuscript of Mantiq Ut-tair. Additional content: The appendix of this book includes a note about Attar, a short section on the Sufis and a glossary of some of the names and other words used throughout the text.