I am Persian from Iran living in Canada. I thank God, and I am very happy that my mother tongue language is Persian. It's absolutely a blessing from God. Farsi is the language of love.
Nah. Farsi is only powerful because of its massive influx of Arabic words that adds depth to the language. Farsi poetry is not possible without it. All major Farsi poets used heavily Arabized words. There were no poets of the Sassanid Era.
@@xtremeownage2 Damn. Are you always this receationary? To other people's taking pride in their language, culture and history. And also where did you get that "There were no poets of the Sassanid Era" other than the fact of. Source: trust me bro! More to that, maybe it's that the more well known Sassanid poet's works didn't survive, because people like Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas who durning the conquests wouldn't stop the large scale book burning 📖 🔥. 🤔 hmm I wonder... Source: Tarikh al-Tabari. You're welcome ;)
@@kolohaksja2260 There virtually no written literature in old Persian or Pahalvi . Persian poetry thrived after the introduction of Arabic , Islamic conquest and the Arabic script. See A Literary History of Persia by Edward G. Briwne (four vols.) After the Safavids, who forced Shi’ism on Iran, virtually no great Persian poet appeared. Firdousi was writing about Central Asia much after the Islamization of Iran and Central Asia.
@@saliksayyar9793 There are many stone scripts, and Manichean religious scriptures and old gnostic scriptures in Old Persian. There are also many business documents between Persia and India-China. All old literature were discouraged by religious fanatics. During Ferdowsi's time much of central Asia was still following Nestorian Christianity and Buddhism.
I was having a rough day. I'm very touch and go with religion but this poem about the journey of self-discovery and the sacrifices required and your relating of it to a lay person like myself was very heartening, perhaps even the wake-up call I needed. Please accept this donation with thanks and keep up the content sir.
The love of Allah, God, karma, universe, nature or whatever just gives me peace in a way I will never be able to explain. May love overcome your being and may you find the path of love of humanity.
I think it would have been helpfull if you had explained that simorgh was a ficticous bird in Iranian mythology and was known long before Attar's time. This bird was also used in Ferdousi's shahnameh, the epic book of kings. Thank you.
@@LetsTalkReligion My mother used to read this to us as children and I always understood the Simorgh to be God within us. I enjoyed this comment and of course, I enjoyed your video. Thank you.
You're absolutely right: it is truly impossible to give justice to the Conference of the Birds such is the beauty of its profound spiritual message. To me, alongside the Tao Te Ching ( translated by Gia Fu Feng and Jane English ) , the Conference of the Birds is a pillar and a pinnacle of human poetry and spirituality. It's truly astounding and your favourite translation is truly amazing. Great video. Thank you.💯👌🎯
@@catherinemoore9534 maybe you haven't read the famous DIVAN E SHAMS of Rumi because a great scholar of Persian who knows A to Z of Persian poetry says to him everything in Persian poetry feels like child's when compared to Rumi's Divan e SHAMS..
@@judbakilam یک شبی پروانگان جمع آمدند در مضیفی طالب شمع آمدند جمله می‌گفتند می‌باید یکی کو خبر آرد ز مطلوب اندکی شد یکی پروانه تا قصری ز دور در فضاء قصر یافت از شمع نور بازگشت و دفتر خود بازکرد وصف او بر قدر فهم آغاز کرد ناقدی کو داشت در جمع مهی گفت او را نیست از شمع آگهی شد یکی دیگر گذشت از نور در خویش را بر شمع زد از دور در پر زنان در پرتو مطلوب شد شمع غالب گشت و او مغلوب شد بازگشت او نیز و مشتی راز گفت از وصال شمع شرحی باز گفت ناقدش گفت این نشان نیست ای عزیز همچو آن یک کی نشان دادی تو نیز دیگری برخاست می‌شد مست مست پای کوبان بر سر آتش نشست دست درکش کرد با آتش به هم خویشتن گم کرد با او خوش به هم چون گرفت آتش ز سر تا پای او سرخ شد چون آتشی اعضای او ناقد ایشان چو دید او را ز دور شمع با خود کرده هم رنگش ز نور گفت این پروانه در کارست و بس کس چه داند، این خبر دارست و بس آنک شد هم بی‌خبر هم بی‌اثر از میان جمله او دارد خبر تا نگردی بی‌خبر از جسم و جان کی خبر یابی ز جانان یک زمان هرکه از مویی نشانت باز داد صد خط اندر خون جانت باز داد نیست محرم نفس کس این جایگاه در نگنجد هیچ کس این جایگاه
I am an Iranian living in Canada, and I do speak Persian. I haven't read the entire book in Persian, but only bits and pieces, but let me tell you and other non-Persian speaking fellas: everytime in the video that you recited a part of the English translation, it so resonated with me that I literally had goosebumps, and I genuinely felt a very similar emotion I usually experience when I read it in Persian. Thank you so much for creating this amazing content, also thanks for suggusting this brilliant translation by Dick Davis.
@@hashimalzarooni9179 You're replying with this none sense under every single comment. Yes modern Persian has some Arabic loan words which was the result of the brutal Islamic conquest of Persia and the campaign to eradicate the language. Still, Persian culture far predates the Arabs. Cyrus the Great was laying down the first charter of human rights far before the lizard eating, camel piss drinking Arab bedouins came to prominence. Even the Arabic language is itself beholden to Persians considering that the foundational book for its grammar was written by Sibawayh who was a Persian grammarian. Without Persians, modern day Arabic wouldn't be what it is today.
"Simorgh" in parsi is translated to "Phoenix" attar did a little word play and implied that the birds were in search of a Phoenix but as the video said "si" means thirty and "morgh" means bird, the twist was it was when the thirty birds reached place of the supposed Phoenix they found out that there was no Phoenix(simorgh) in the first place it was only themselves, the thirty(si)birds(morgh)
I've recently been thinking of learning Persian. I love Persian history and art. I've a knack for languages, but I'm still learning French right now, and I've always wanted to learn Russian and Japanese.
I have never seen such beautiful and comprehensive work and explanation on Persian Mysticism culture and poetry in English. So happy that this channel was introduced to me. I strongly suggest that you learn Persian since you are interested in our Poetry. The joy you will experience from reading the original words is not comparable even with the best possible translations out there. 🌸 Be in God's love and light.
@@Claxiux because whatever you see as Iran today has been unified people since the great Cyrus and Persian empire, the Achaemenid, and after 25 centuries the core is still there. the common language of Iran is sometimes called Farsi which is Arabic form of Parsi which is Persian in western language.
@@amirb3083 No you f.. Idoit! the word Irie(Aryan) Exist before Cyrus the Median Empire call themselves Aryan the word exist in the oldest writing of Persian language(AVESTA)! even Darus the Greate call himself Aryan!!! Sassanian Call themesves King of IranShar!!
@@noshadb.e3111 If you believe you are talking factual, Talk like a civilized person. don't call the person you are talking to F.. Idiot, leave these kind of adjectives for your parents who raised you up like animal.
@@amirb3083only 58% Iranian people are Persians rest are other ethnicities which is part of Iranian society and culture. Like every indian is not aryan 😊😊😊😊
Rumi in one of his poems says : " Attar traveled through 7 cities of love while we still struggling with the first turn of one alley." Haft shah-reh eshgh raw Attar gasht Maw hanooz andar khameh yek koo-cheh-yim
@@hashimalzarooni9179 You're replying with this none sense under every single comment. Yes modern Persian has some Arabic loan words which was the result of the brutal Islamic conquest of Persia and the campaign to eradicate the language. They burned any Persian book they got their hands on and oppressed the Ajams for centuries. Still, Persian culture far predates the Arabs. Cyrus the Great was laying down the first charter of human rights far before the lizard eating, camel piss drinking Arab bedouins came to prominence. Even the Arabic language is itself beholden to Persians considering that the foundational book for its grammar was written by Sibawayh who was a Persian grammarian. So in a sense without Persians, modern day Arabic wouldn't be what it is today.
@@hashimalzarooni9179 how is that related to what they said💀 And yes it would still exist without the Arabic script lmao just look at how they are writing in Tajikistan
خط عربی از خط پارسی که در انتهی دوران ساسانی ساخته شده بود تازه ساخته شده بود گرفته شد که همان خط فارسی امروزی هست برای همین است که پارسی ۴حرف از عربی بیشتر دارد@@hashimalzarooni9179
One of the most provocative books on ‘being human’ that I have read multiple times. It challenges ideas of what is our ‘higher nature’. It is a challenging book to find any comfort in, and it’s wisdom seems to be in lightning the grip we have on our sure sense of self. A strange and masterful work I think.
Thank you for this beautiful explanation. I have read Attar's works in the original language and I can safely say that when it comes to Sufi poetry, in terms of quantity and quality, Attar stands at the top. Rumi praises Him in a verse: هفت شهر عشق را عطار گشت ما هنوز اندر خم یک کوچه ایم Which literally means "Attar traveled the seven valleys of Love while we are at the curve of an alleyway". Attar truly was a giant of spiritual sciences of his time.
Persian mystics! Thank you, may we live up to them... Theosis or awakening is our potentiality. “Here comes a sea, followed by an ocean!” Reportedly, what Attar said when he saw Rumi behind his father.
@@LetsTalkReligion Yeah, it's a great one. I think an even more accurate translation may be, "Here comes the sea, followed by the Ocean." Thank you for your beautiful work
@@ThisUnifiedField The 'persian' mystics will feel offended by you tagging them as Persian instead of islamic because what they were was not because of ethnicity but because of faith and religion and in Islam they are called auliyaAllah (friends of Allah) all of these mystics use the word auliyaAllah while referring to other mystics that is why you will find Sufis all over the world from Africa to china and from Russia to Indonesia even india is dotted with innumerable Sufi shrines..
The video editing and images you chose to use in this are magnificent. I've recently begun to explore Islam and Sufism, and you are an excellent and passionate teacher. I truly appreciate your work and devotion.
This is amazing. Only today I found myself drawn again to read this great book for a third time and indeed have been listening to it in Farsi whilst following the translation. I then saw this advertised. Synchronicity or what?
This is my first meeting with Attar and the overwhelming beauty of his imagery. With a wonderful guide who has opened my eyes to a new world. Thank you.
Om’s album name after this beautiful poem is also a beautiful piece of music. Thanks for this video. I actually own comic book version of the poem. It isn’t the whole text, but an abstraction of it. Very beautifully illustrated, with spare words. I have yet to read it, but I think I will soon. My sister gave it to me as a present, since I love birds, and the hoopoe is my favorite one. Spring is getting near, and that means I’ll be able to hear its simple, yet beautiful, song soon!
The superior person settles his mind as the universe settles the stars in the sky. By connecting the mind with the subtle origin, he calms it. Once calmed it naturally expands, and ultimately his mind becomes as vast and immeasurable as the night sky-Laozi
@@hashimalzarooni9179 in fact, when the Arabs attacked Iran, they tried really hard to completely eliminate the ancient Persian language. They burned all the books and killed all the poets and scholars. One of them got away, the legendary Ferdowsi, who had spent 30 years writing “Shahnameh” in the original Persian language. That is basically the only work that remains. So to respond to your comment, Arabic got mixed into Persian when the Arabs attacked and forced it upon the nation. It didn’t help it survive.
Points for interested readers from a Persian-speaking scholar who knows Persian literature well enough: 1- The 7 Valley in the original Persian version is mentioned as "the seven cities of love". The city of Quest, the city of love, the city of knowledge, and so on. 2- Regarding the story of Rūmī and his encounter with Attar: Rūmī was little when he was accompanying his father Bahāʼ al-Dīn Valad on the way to Konia (Eastern Rome as known by Persians). His Father was invited by Kayqubad I, the Seljuq Sultan of Rûm, and appointed as the spiritual leader or Imam of the mosque of Konia. When Attar met Roomi he said, "Soon he will set fire to all burning/burnable souls of the world". 3- Attar, regardless of his magnificent works, is not in the circle of five all-time great Persian Poets. Rūmī is. Thus I would encourage people who are interested in Attar to learn also about the other four giants: Nezami, Ferdowsi, Saadi, and Hafiz.
This video inspired me to pick up Attar's The Conference of the Birds (the exact one you recommended). I started reading it last week and I love it! It's so beautiful! Also, it's very informative when it comes to Sufism.
This takes me back 40 years when I was just 20 years old and the amazing journey I experienced whilst reading The Conference Of The Birds. I read and reread it and nothing else for more than a month. Then it was extremely difficult finding a journey such as this again. Thank you for this great video topic.
@@hashimalzarooni9179 You're replying with this none sense under every single comment. Yes modern Persian has some Arabic loan words which was the result of the brutal Islamic conquest of Persia and the campaign to eradicate the language. Still, Persian culture far predates the Arabs. Cyrus the Great was laying down the first charter of human rights far before the lizard eating, camel piss drinking Arab bedouins came to prominence. Even the Arabic language is itself beholden to Persians considering that the foundational book for its grammar was written by Sibawayh who was a Persian grammarian. Without Persians, modern day Arabic wouldn't be what it is today.
Yeah I really like it! It probably has to take some creative freedoms, but I think it's worth it in order to capture the poetic aspect of the original.
Thank You Mr. Holm. I bought the book some time ago but I was having trouble getting into it. Thanks to your Masterful Presentation in this video I am understanding it better now. Thanks Again.
Thank you for covering the Sufis so closely, it is a school of thought very close to my heart and one that has helped me see the light in the darkest of times… look forward to hearing more about them from you in the future. Peace from England
I must admit as a Sunni Muslim, Whose ancestors learned Islam from the tradition of Sufi peers, your channel has been absolutely enlightening. I did know the names, but not stories. I have seen pictures of Simourgh and even copied it as a child but never knew how fascinating the properties were. Thank you for reintroducing my own tradition to me. May Allah bless you from His bounty.
@@hashimalzarooni9179 You're replying with this none sense under every single comment. Yes modern Persian has some Arabic loan words which was the result of the brutal Islamic conquest of Persia and the campaign to eradicate the language. Still, Persian culture far predates the Arabs. Cyrus the Great was laying down the first charter of human rights far before the lizard eating, camel piss drinking Arab bedouins came to prominence. Even the Arabic language is itself beholden to Persians considering that the foundational book for its grammar was written by Sibawayh who was a Persian grammarian. Without Persians, modern day Arabic wouldn't be what it is today.
You have lost everything these auliyaAllah aka Sufis stood for you are today nothing but wannabe European copycats who reject Allah and worship ethnicity, nation and Europe..lol
@@saliksayyar9793 Your are right, Persian is a language, but a person who speaks Persian language is also called Persian. Most people in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan speak in Persian language and are called Persian.
There's a song by a band called mewithoutYou called "King Beetle on the Coconut Estate" which is very clearly adapted from the story about the moths and the flame. It's one of my favorite (and I think one of the most beautiful) songs ever written.
Thank you once again for another brilliant explanation and overview. It takes a true artist to do justice in explaining a piece of art. Like most of your videos on sufi mysticism, i was overwhelmed once again. Happy to have this channel for my daily consumption and reflection
Hello, let's talk religion In the first part of introduction of Attar's work, Musibat-Nama was left. It is one the significant works of him. But, it hadn't been well-known over the history like Mantiq al-tayr becaus as Dr.Shafi Kadkani, the editor of Attar's works, said the unfamiliar name of Musibat-name, which means the book of mourning, made people thought that it had been a book on funeral ceremonies or something like that. This book is about the journey of Salik-e-fekrat, that is the traveler of wisdom. He goes on an ontological journey to ask all physical and spiritual existences on the earth and in the sky that where is God. It's maybe the most thought- provoking work of him. Thank you for all your efforts🦋 🙏
OMG 🤯🤯🤯 This is totally insane...I just imagined & now I'm loosing my mind 😭... I wanna such a companion I wanna such a guide I wanna to reach out there I wanna to be that light ✨🥺
Hello Philip sir ! I am a new subscriber to your channel . One of my friend recommend this channel to me . I am fascinated with the thought of Attar of Nishapur is exactly same to the concept of the Metaphysical Brahman of Upanishads(The Ultimate Reality) . The state of "fana" of Sufism is exactly same as the state of "samadhi" in Hinduism where every material knowledge gets extinguished and what remains is the Supreme Reality , knowledge of Para-Brahaman. (The merging of the single drop ie Atman or the individual soul into the Brahman or the Super Soul that exist beyond human intelligence).. And your explanation is great 👍
Was not Geoffrey Chaucer 'the father of English literature' also deeply influenced by Attar? His Canterbury Tales has thirty pilgrims setting out on their journey. He also authored a poem called Parliament of Fowls.
@@bridgetwadane4392 It's neither plain nor simple. Chaucer would have known Attar's work in Latin translation from the Arabic into which it was translated from the original Persian. He would have had to make numerous extremely deft leaps and tumbles to put the poem in the context of the England of his day, with English places, people, laws, religion, mores and customs of the time and so on. And achieve a masterly work which stands the test of Time. It's a beautiful example of cultural shift, or perhaps what in these days is called 'foreign aid' that is, when more advanced and wealthier nations help poorer ones to progress ...
@@Concurr Right time, right place, right people equals success. Wrong time, wrong place, wrong people equals most of the real human history. Idries Shah, Reflections
Another excellent presentation Philip. I know Persian language and the Attar literature so I can confirm a loyal-to-original summarisation here. I will add a couple of notes to readers in the next comment to further clarify some aspects.
Indeed we are in a cage like a bird and death will set us free. Beautiful rendition of the great work that i had only heard about but never read. Profound thanks for narrating it so beautifully and bringing it to us.
Yes, Attar's and Rumi's perspectives are the same, especially about fana and baqa. I have read 3 books of Rumi so far and one of the main ideas in his book is that fana and baqa.We wait for more videos like that. Thank you very much brother!
Thank you for the elaborate review. I remember as a child, father would recite these poems in Persian while driving, the old car had no radio or cassette player.
Lucky me that you have distinguishly elaborated such intricated zargon of metaphors and similies, in various ways of symbolics and depections, clarified quite eloquently at the end, which represents the simplification of manefestation of love in a concised way; nice touch though appreciated indeed.
Your channel is the best. The subject matter is always well researched and dealt with tastefully with passionately. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
what a great and diverse series of events and persons ( i now see it ) brought me to this beautiful work of writing today, and to your presentation. suffice it to say, it was all divinely orchestrated. So deeply appreciated.
Okay. I’ve been tuning in for over a year and became a HUGE fan of Rumi thanks to Filip’s piece on this great poet. But THIS one on Attar… yasssss. 👑RULES.👑 Thank you always Filip, AWESOME research with references. Thanks for plugging Dr Angela Puca too, she is ON itttt. Much appreciation❣️👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
I love your videos! I am an agnostic but more aligned with Buddhism - But I am currently farsi poetry and made my way to this piece. I am very upset because I only speak english, and I love metre and rhyme as they are my favourite parts of poetry, I don't think I am smart enough to learn Farsi tbh although I would love to. But your videos help me experience the english translations just a bit better. Thank you so much for your content!!! YOU ARE INCREDIBLE!
Stunningly beautiful poetry, and speaks deeply to the trials, all successful and failed experiments, of my own soul. I will be reading this straight away, thank you.
This is the most informative and clear explanation I've seen regarding"" The Conference of the Birds". I saw a few RUclips explanations by the so called "Experts", they don't even hold a small candle to this.
Glorious! I notice that most of the ''Let's Talk Religion'' vids seem to go from my ''watch latter'' list (I'm short on time these days) to my cache of ''Favorites'' . The choice of topics, the art work. analysis, and the length of the presentation is perfection. We would all like to believe that all the paths of liberation and wisdom traditions teach essentially the same humanizing truths. These vids are diamonds that refract the light such that such a hope seems possible!
A really important poem to me. A pleasure to hear it explained so well (I never realised the title was directly referring to Suryat an-Aml). Thank you. (Nice one for mentioning the Afkham Darbandi/Dick Davis translation, the one I would ALWAYS recommend).
Attar is very respected here in Iran. The most famous part of the book here is the story of "Sheikh e San'an". They also teach a bit about it in highschools. Also as a Persian speaker, I must say the translation you mentioned really is incredible.
I read a dutch translation a long time ago, but the book got lost moving to the states. As I do not know the original language, I decided to order the one you present here. Thank you so much
I am Persian from Iran living in Canada. I thank God, and I am very happy that my mother tongue language is Persian. It's absolutely a blessing from God. Farsi is the language of love.
Probably you need to thank Ferdowsi!
Nah. Farsi is only powerful because of its massive influx of Arabic words that adds depth to the language. Farsi poetry is not possible without it. All major Farsi poets used heavily Arabized words. There were no poets of the Sassanid Era.
@@xtremeownage2 Damn. Are you always this receationary? To other people's taking pride in their language, culture and history. And also where did you get that "There were no poets of the Sassanid Era" other than the fact of. Source: trust me bro! More to that, maybe it's that the more well known Sassanid poet's works didn't survive, because people like Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas who durning the conquests wouldn't stop the large scale book burning 📖 🔥.
🤔 hmm I wonder...
Source: Tarikh al-Tabari.
You're welcome ;)
@@kolohaksja2260 There virtually no written literature in old Persian or Pahalvi . Persian poetry thrived after the introduction of Arabic , Islamic conquest and the Arabic script. See A Literary History of Persia by Edward G. Briwne (four vols.) After the Safavids, who forced Shi’ism on Iran, virtually no great Persian poet appeared. Firdousi was writing about Central Asia much after the Islamization of Iran and Central Asia.
@@saliksayyar9793 There are many stone scripts, and Manichean religious scriptures and old gnostic scriptures in Old Persian. There are also many business documents between Persia and India-China. All old literature were discouraged by religious fanatics. During Ferdowsi's time much of central Asia was still following Nestorian Christianity and Buddhism.
I was having a rough day. I'm very touch and go with religion but this poem about the journey of self-discovery and the sacrifices required and your relating of it to a lay person like myself was very heartening, perhaps even the wake-up call I needed. Please accept this donation with thanks and keep up the content sir.
The love of Allah, God, karma, universe, nature or whatever just gives me peace in a way I will never be able to explain. May love overcome your being and may you find the path of love of humanity.
Alhamdulilla, may God guide you toward the straight path, my friend.
Does anyone have a link to the full audiobook.
I didn't even know it is possible to donate money on YT. This is the first time I have ever seen it. Nice of you.
I think it would have been helpfull if you had explained that simorgh was a ficticous bird in Iranian mythology and was known long before Attar's time. This bird was also used in Ferdousi's shahnameh, the epic book of kings. Thank you.
That’s right !
Simorgh ( 30 birds ) سیمرغ
Yeah, maybe I shouldn't assume people already know that
@@LetsTalkReligion 😂
@@aemiliadelroba4022 i had a good chortle upon learning of the 30birds.
@@LetsTalkReligion My mother used to read this to us as children and I always understood the Simorgh to be God within us. I enjoyed this comment and of course, I enjoyed your video. Thank you.
You're absolutely right: it is truly impossible to give justice to the Conference of the Birds such is the beauty of its profound spiritual message. To me, alongside the Tao Te Ching ( translated by Gia Fu Feng and Jane English ) , the Conference of the Birds is a pillar and a pinnacle of human poetry and spirituality.
It's truly astounding and your favourite translation is truly amazing.
Great video. Thank you.💯👌🎯
Is there a particular translation you might suggest for english readers?
@@afnanbogey Choose the Darbandi and Davis translation.
@@catherinemoore9534 maybe you haven't read the famous DIVAN E SHAMS of Rumi because a great scholar of Persian who knows A to Z of Persian poetry says to him everything in Persian poetry feels like child's when compared to Rumi's Divan e SHAMS..
@@zaharabanoo6338 You must not have read the poetry of Hafez if you think that
It was mandatory for us to memorize some of his poetry in high school in iran
Could you kindly share some with us, thanks. Salaam
@@judbakilam یک شبی پروانگان جمع آمدند
در مضیفی طالب شمع آمدند
جمله می‌گفتند می‌باید یکی
کو خبر آرد ز مطلوب اندکی
شد یکی پروانه تا قصری ز دور
در فضاء قصر یافت از شمع نور
بازگشت و دفتر خود بازکرد
وصف او بر قدر فهم آغاز کرد
ناقدی کو داشت در جمع مهی
گفت او را نیست از شمع آگهی
شد یکی دیگر گذشت از نور در
خویش را بر شمع زد از دور در
پر زنان در پرتو مطلوب شد
شمع غالب گشت و او مغلوب شد
بازگشت او نیز و مشتی راز گفت
از وصال شمع شرحی باز گفت
ناقدش گفت این نشان نیست ای عزیز
همچو آن یک کی نشان دادی تو نیز
دیگری برخاست می‌شد مست مست
پای کوبان بر سر آتش نشست
دست درکش کرد با آتش به هم
خویشتن گم کرد با او خوش به هم
چون گرفت آتش ز سر تا پای او
سرخ شد چون آتشی اعضای او
ناقد ایشان چو دید او را ز دور
شمع با خود کرده هم رنگش ز نور
گفت این پروانه در کارست و بس
کس چه داند، این خبر دارست و بس
آنک شد هم بی‌خبر هم بی‌اثر
از میان جمله او دارد خبر
تا نگردی بی‌خبر از جسم و جان
کی خبر یابی ز جانان یک زمان
هرکه از مویی نشانت باز داد
صد خط اندر خون جانت باز داد
نیست محرم نفس کس این جایگاه
در نگنجد هیچ کس این جایگاه
But he was a Sunni who praised Umar, Usman and Abu Bakr, whom Iranians (and Shias in general), curse all the time!
How wonderful!
You have a great memory mate 😂👍🏼
Conference of the Birds by Om is a great album. Never thought about where the name came from, nice to know
I am an Iranian living in Canada, and I do speak Persian. I haven't read the entire book in Persian, but only bits and pieces, but let me tell you and other non-Persian speaking fellas: everytime in the video that you recited a part of the English translation, it so resonated with me that I literally had goosebumps, and I genuinely felt a very similar emotion I usually experience when I read it in Persian. Thank you so much for creating this amazing content, also thanks for suggusting this brilliant translation by Dick Davis.
Farsi; perhaps the most beautiful language in humanity. It far outweights Parisian French, in my humble opinion anyway, in eloquence.
Well, without Arabic words , Farsi language won’t be exited today .
@@hashimalzarooni9179 You're replying with this none sense under every single comment. Yes modern Persian has some Arabic loan words which was the result of the brutal Islamic conquest of Persia and the campaign to eradicate the language.
Still, Persian culture far predates the Arabs. Cyrus the Great was laying down the first charter of human rights far before the lizard eating, camel piss drinking Arab bedouins came to prominence. Even the Arabic language is itself beholden to Persians considering that the foundational book for its grammar was written by Sibawayh who was a Persian grammarian. Without Persians, modern day Arabic wouldn't be what it is today.
Delusional racists
I’m a native Arabic speaker and I wish I can speak Persian the language of love and to see the beauty of Eran one day💗 lucky you Amin
Filip, thank you so much for giving those of us with an Eurocentric education a taste of great poets like Attar. His wisdom is truly profound.
"Simorgh" in parsi is translated to "Phoenix" attar did a little word play and implied that the birds were in search of a Phoenix but as the video said "si" means thirty and "morgh" means bird, the twist was it was when the thirty birds reached place of the supposed Phoenix they found out that there was no Phoenix(simorgh) in the first place it was only themselves, the thirty(si)birds(morgh)
"The real treasure was the friends that we made along the way"
:))) literally
Lol. This sums it up! :))))))))))
I've recently been thinking of learning Persian. I love Persian history and art. I've a knack for languages, but I'm still learning French right now, and I've always wanted to learn Russian and Japanese.
I have never seen such beautiful and comprehensive work and explanation on Persian Mysticism culture and poetry in English.
So happy that this channel was introduced to me.
I strongly suggest that you learn Persian since you are interested in our Poetry. The joy you will experience from reading the original words is not comparable even with the best possible translations out there. 🌸
Be in God's love and light.
Persian Muslim mystics are so fascinating to learn and read about. Thank you for a yet again good episode!
The correct word is Iranian I don’t know why people keep on repeating Persian this perisn that
@@Claxiux because whatever you see as Iran today has been unified people since the great Cyrus and Persian empire, the Achaemenid, and after 25 centuries the core is still there. the common language of Iran is sometimes called Farsi which is Arabic form of Parsi which is Persian in western language.
@@amirb3083 No you f.. Idoit! the word Irie(Aryan) Exist before Cyrus the Median Empire call themselves Aryan the word exist in the oldest writing of Persian language(AVESTA)! even Darus the Greate call himself Aryan!!! Sassanian Call themesves King of IranShar!!
@@noshadb.e3111 If you believe you are talking factual, Talk like a civilized person. don't call the person you are talking to F.. Idiot, leave these kind of adjectives for your parents who raised you up like animal.
@@amirb3083only 58% Iranian people are Persians rest are other ethnicities which is part of Iranian society and culture. Like every indian is not aryan 😊😊😊😊
Incredible how beautiful this poem is, leaves one speechless
Rumi in one of his poems says : " Attar traveled through 7 cities of love while we still struggling with the first turn of one alley."
Haft shah-reh eshgh raw Attar gasht
Maw hanooz andar khameh yek koo-cheh-yim
Well, without Arabic words , Farsi language won’t be exited today
@@hashimalzarooni9179 You're replying with this none sense under every single comment. Yes modern Persian has some Arabic loan words which was the result of the brutal Islamic conquest of Persia and the campaign to eradicate the language. They burned any Persian book they got their hands on and oppressed the Ajams for centuries.
Still, Persian culture far predates the Arabs. Cyrus the Great was laying down the first charter of human rights far before the lizard eating, camel piss drinking Arab bedouins came to prominence. Even the Arabic language is itself beholden to Persians considering that the foundational book for its grammar was written by Sibawayh who was a Persian grammarian. So in a sense without Persians, modern day Arabic wouldn't be what it is today.
@@hashimalzarooni9179 how is that related to what they said💀
And yes it would still exist without the Arabic script lmao just look at how they are writing in Tajikistan
خط عربی از خط پارسی که در انتهی دوران ساسانی ساخته شده بود تازه ساخته شده بود گرفته شد که همان خط فارسی امروزی هست برای همین است که پارسی ۴حرف از عربی بیشتر دارد@@hashimalzarooni9179
@@hashimalzarooni9179Only one Arabic word عشق in that quote if you ignore that عطار’s name is Arabic…
One of the most provocative books on ‘being human’ that I have read multiple times. It challenges ideas of what is our ‘higher nature’. It is a challenging book to find any comfort in, and it’s wisdom seems to be in lightning the grip we have on our sure sense of self. A strange and masterful work I think.
Thank you for this beautiful explanation. I have read Attar's works in the original language and I can safely say that when it comes to Sufi poetry, in terms of quantity and quality, Attar stands at the top. Rumi praises Him in a verse:
هفت شهر عشق را عطار گشت
ما هنوز اندر خم یک کوچه ایم
Which literally means "Attar traveled the seven valleys of Love while we are at the curve of an alleyway". Attar truly was a giant of spiritual sciences of his time.
Thank you, I ‘m speechless! What a masterful presentation ❤❤❤
Persian mystics! Thank you, may we live up to them... Theosis or awakening is our potentiality.
“Here comes a sea, followed by an ocean!” Reportedly, what Attar said when he saw Rumi behind his father.
I love that quote! I've also heard it attributed to Ibn 'Arabi.
And thank you so much for the generous Super Thanks!
@@LetsTalkReligion Yeah, it's a great one. I think an even more accurate translation may be, "Here comes the sea, followed by the Ocean." Thank you for your beautiful work
Iranian*
Persian?
@@ThisUnifiedField The 'persian' mystics will feel offended by you tagging them as Persian instead of islamic because what they were was not because of ethnicity but because of faith and religion and in Islam they are called auliyaAllah (friends of Allah) all of these mystics use the word auliyaAllah while referring to other mystics that is why you will find Sufis all over the world from Africa to china and from Russia to Indonesia even india is dotted with innumerable Sufi shrines..
The video editing and images you chose to use in this are magnificent. I've recently begun to explore Islam and Sufism, and you are an excellent and passionate teacher. I truly appreciate your work and devotion.
This is amazing. Only today I found myself drawn again to read this great book for a third time and indeed have been listening to it in Farsi whilst following the translation. I then saw this advertised. Synchronicity or what?
A sign that you should take the journey and testify
@@alfonso201 well you could be right. I actually see true Islam as a universal religion.
@@jasontravis3568 sounds about right
@@jasontravis3568 if you understand that true religion is the progressive revelation of the reality.
@Cru6ix indeed. I'm actually saying that in other words.
This is my first meeting with Attar and the overwhelming beauty of his imagery. With a wonderful guide who has opened my eyes to a new world. Thank you.
Om’s album name after this beautiful poem is also a beautiful piece of music.
Thanks for this video. I actually own comic book version of the poem. It isn’t the whole text, but an abstraction of it. Very beautifully illustrated, with spare words. I have yet to read it, but I think I will soon. My sister gave it to me as a present, since I love birds, and the hoopoe is my favorite one. Spring is getting near, and that means I’ll be able to hear its simple, yet beautiful, song soon!
The superior person settles his mind as the universe settles the stars in the sky.
By connecting the mind with the subtle origin, he calms it.
Once calmed it naturally expands, and ultimately his mind becomes as vast and immeasurable as the night sky-Laozi
I’m Persian and have read parts of this work as a kid. You nailed it with this video as always.
Well, without Arabic words , Farsi language won’t be exited today
@@hashimalzarooni9179 in fact, when the Arabs attacked Iran, they tried really hard to completely eliminate the ancient Persian language. They burned all the books and killed all the poets and scholars. One of them got away, the legendary Ferdowsi, who had spent 30 years writing “Shahnameh” in the original Persian language. That is basically the only work that remains. So to respond to your comment, Arabic got mixed into Persian when the Arabs attacked and forced it upon the nation. It didn’t help it survive.
@@8mahan8No, arabic didn't do sht
Points for interested readers from a Persian-speaking scholar who knows Persian literature well enough:
1- The 7 Valley in the original Persian version is mentioned as "the seven cities of love". The city of Quest, the city of love, the city of knowledge, and so on.
2- Regarding the story of Rūmī and his encounter with Attar: Rūmī was little when he was accompanying his father Bahāʼ al-Dīn Valad on the way to Konia (Eastern Rome as known by Persians). His Father was invited by Kayqubad I, the Seljuq Sultan of Rûm, and appointed as the spiritual leader or Imam of the mosque of Konia. When Attar met Roomi he said, "Soon he will set fire to all burning/burnable souls of the world".
3- Attar, regardless of his magnificent works, is not in the circle of five all-time great Persian Poets. Rūmī is. Thus I would encourage people who are interested in Attar to learn also about the other four giants: Nezami, Ferdowsi, Saadi, and Hafiz.
This brought tears to my eyes, stunning
This video inspired me to pick up Attar's The Conference of the Birds (the exact one you recommended). I started reading it last week and I love it! It's so beautiful! Also, it's very informative when it comes to Sufism.
This is quickly becoming a favorite channel of mine
This takes me back 40 years when I was just 20 years old and the amazing journey I experienced whilst reading The Conference Of The Birds. I read and reread it and nothing else for more than a month.
Then it was extremely difficult finding a journey such as this again. Thank you for this great video topic.
I've been blessed witht the Persian language. Persian literature is a hidden gem that very few (even Persian speaking people) truly find and enjoy.
Well, without Arabic words , Farsi language won’t be exited today
@@hashimalzarooni9179 You're replying with this none sense under every single comment. Yes modern Persian has some Arabic loan words which was the result of the brutal Islamic conquest of Persia and the campaign to eradicate the language.
Still, Persian culture far predates the Arabs. Cyrus the Great was laying down the first charter of human rights far before the lizard eating, camel piss drinking Arab bedouins came to prominence. Even the Arabic language is itself beholden to Persians considering that the foundational book for its grammar was written by Sibawayh who was a Persian grammarian. Without Persians, modern day Arabic wouldn't be what it is today.
Iam a theatre maker...Peter Brooks Conference of the birds was how I arrived here. Thank you I loved it..
The translations were quite exceptional! Looking forward to exploring Attar's work. Thanks for another great video
Yeah I really like it! It probably has to take some creative freedoms, but I think it's worth it in order to capture the poetic aspect of the original.
I’m so happy you’ve made a video about this masterpiece, I haven’t watched the video yet but I have already given a thumbs up 👍🏼
Thank You Mr. Holm. I bought the book some time ago but I was having trouble getting into it. Thanks to your Masterful Presentation in this video I am understanding it better now. Thanks Again.
Thank you for covering the Sufis so closely, it is a school of thought very close to my heart and one that has helped me see the light in the darkest of times… look forward to hearing more about them from you in the future. Peace from England
I hadn't realised I'd been waiting for this.
Thanks, Filip.
Thank you Conor!
Excellent. I have always loved this book from many decades ago when I began my Sufi Journey. Alhamdulillah.
Your pronounciations are so perfect and sooo sweet to hear! Thank you for that long second A in Attar 😍
I've had this book on my shelf for years. I remember reading it about 15 years ago. Maybe it's time to revisit it...
Perfect mate.
You did a great job.
Amazed by your performance as a Persian speaker.
Thank you millions
I must admit as a Sunni Muslim, Whose ancestors learned Islam from the tradition of Sufi peers, your channel has been absolutely enlightening.
I did know the names, but not stories. I have seen pictures of Simourgh and even copied it as a child but never knew how fascinating the properties were.
Thank you for reintroducing my own tradition to me. May Allah bless you from His bounty.
Well, without Arabic words , Farsi language won’t be exited today
@@hashimalzarooni9179 You're replying with this none sense under every single comment. Yes modern Persian has some Arabic loan words which was the result of the brutal Islamic conquest of Persia and the campaign to eradicate the language.
Still, Persian culture far predates the Arabs. Cyrus the Great was laying down the first charter of human rights far before the lizard eating, camel piss drinking Arab bedouins came to prominence. Even the Arabic language is itself beholden to Persians considering that the foundational book for its grammar was written by Sibawayh who was a Persian grammarian. Without Persians, modern day Arabic wouldn't be what it is today.
As a Persian we love Attar !
His deep poetry and mystic works are inspiration to us all ….
❤️❤️❤️❤️
I don’t know what it means when you say we Persians. Persian is a language. Attar’s lesson is lost on you as you hold on to your being Persian.
He was Sunni
You have lost everything these auliyaAllah aka Sufis stood for you are today nothing but wannabe European copycats who reject Allah and worship ethnicity, nation and Europe..lol
@@saliksayyar9793 Your are right, Persian is a language, but a person who speaks Persian language is also called Persian. Most people in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan speak in Persian language and are called Persian.
@@saliksayyar9793 what are you talkig about? each time we read his work! he is alive with us through his word?
My life wouldn’t have been complete without all what I learned from you man. Thanks for all the amazing videos you make
There's a song by a band called mewithoutYou called "King Beetle on the Coconut Estate" which is very clearly adapted from the story about the moths and the flame. It's one of my favorite (and I think one of the most beautiful) songs ever written.
Indeed it was fascinating learning about Attar. It was an awakening for me. Thank you for your easy listening comments.
Thank you once again for another brilliant explanation and overview. It takes a true artist to do justice in explaining a piece of art. Like most of your videos on sufi mysticism, i was overwhelmed once again. Happy to have this channel for my daily consumption and reflection
Hello, let's talk religion
In the first part of introduction of Attar's work, Musibat-Nama was left. It is one the significant works of him. But, it hadn't been well-known over the history like Mantiq al-tayr becaus as Dr.Shafi Kadkani, the editor of Attar's works, said the unfamiliar name of Musibat-name, which means the book of mourning, made people thought that it had been a book on funeral ceremonies or something like that. This book is about the journey of Salik-e-fekrat, that is the traveler of wisdom. He goes on an ontological journey to ask all physical and spiritual existences on the earth and in the sky that where is God. It's maybe the most thought- provoking work of him.
Thank you for all your efforts🦋 🙏
OMG 🤯🤯🤯
This is totally insane...I just imagined & now I'm loosing my mind 😭...
I wanna such a companion
I wanna such a guide
I wanna to reach out there
I wanna to be that light ✨🥺
Hello Philip sir !
I am a new subscriber to your channel .
One of my friend recommend this channel to me .
I am fascinated with the thought of Attar of Nishapur is exactly same to the concept of the Metaphysical Brahman of Upanishads(The Ultimate Reality) . The state of "fana" of Sufism is exactly same as the state of "samadhi" in Hinduism where every material knowledge gets extinguished and what remains is the Supreme Reality , knowledge of Para-Brahaman. (The merging of the single drop ie Atman or the individual soul into the Brahman or the Super Soul that exist beyond human intelligence)..
And your explanation is great 👍
Thank you so much for this wonderful effort. An absolutely well made video with original music.. And the reading is very touching.
I've loved this book for decades. The Mantiq is a must read IMO!!!
I am amazed with your work and knowledge, I do understand Persian and Attar books are in my list now moving forward!! Thank you again for amazing work
Most grateful for your passion, knowledge and sharing!
I have this translation and it is one of my favourite books. Thank you for your coverage of it - very interesting and sensitively done.
Wow! It is impressive that someone can simply provide information without any inflammatory or degrading contents. I wish I could.
For a man peaceful as Attar, it's especially sad that he died such a violent death. Those dang Mongol hordes!
There's nothing more enrages me than those dorks. Muslim went near to their extinction and so much of their work was lost as well
I had picked up this book last year and just finished it, what a magnificent gem it is!
Oh my God. I am really touched. Thank you for bringing this out.
Was not Geoffrey Chaucer 'the father of English literature' also deeply influenced by Attar? His Canterbury Tales has thirty pilgrims setting out on their journey. He also authored a poem called Parliament of Fowls.
Wow that's really interesting
Chaucer was indeed influenced by Attar. Love Chaucer, too. 😊
Chaucer lifted the concept from Attar, plain and simple.
@@bridgetwadane4392
It's neither plain nor simple.
Chaucer would have known Attar's work in Latin translation from the Arabic into which it was translated from the original Persian.
He would have had to make numerous extremely deft leaps and tumbles to put the poem in the context of the England of his day, with English places, people, laws, religion, mores and customs of the time and so on.
And achieve a masterly work which stands the test of Time.
It's a beautiful example of cultural shift, or perhaps what in these days is called 'foreign aid' that is, when more advanced and wealthier nations help poorer ones to progress ...
Beautifully presented. Thank you.
This literary work, like most Sufi literature, could yield different levels of meaning depending on one own's inner development.
Place, time, people...
@@Concurr Right time, right place, right people equals success.
Wrong time, wrong place, wrong people equals most of the real human history.
Idries Shah, Reflections
@@muhd7144 who decides who is right/wrong???
Our heart should bee our moral compass
Thank you so much, just ordered it online, be blessed and be a blessing.
Brought my memories back, reading Attar's magnificent Conference of the Birds(منطق الطیر) and Masnavi of Rumi.
Another excellent presentation Philip. I know Persian language and the Attar literature so I can confirm a loyal-to-original summarisation here. I will add a couple of notes to readers in the next comment to further clarify some aspects.
Always love your videos, especially the ones related to Sufism...❤
Best Sufi work I've read so far!
Indeed we are in a cage like a bird and death will set us free. Beautiful rendition of the great work that i had only heard about but never read. Profound thanks for narrating it so beautifully and bringing it to us.
What!! I saw a photo of cheikh ahmadou Bamba at 1:50 😊 You really made my day brother
Yes, Attar's and Rumi's perspectives are the same, especially about fana and baqa. I have read 3 books of Rumi so far and one of the main ideas in his book is that fana and baqa.We wait for more videos like that. Thank you very much brother!
Thank you for the elaborate review. I remember as a child, father would recite these poems in Persian while driving, the old car had no radio or cassette player.
Thank you for sharing things that you love with all of us.
I remember reading it while I was 19,it really changed my points of view and perspective
Wonderful video! Thank you. I will be reading the poem in April 💕
Lucky me that you have distinguishly elaborated such intricated zargon of metaphors and similies, in various ways of symbolics and depections, clarified quite eloquently at the end, which represents the simplification of manefestation of love in a concised way; nice touch though appreciated indeed.
The way you even brought up Bahaullah’s The Seven Valleys…You really know your stuff. Love your work!
Your channel is the best. The subject matter is always well researched and dealt with tastefully with passionately. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
this was so Deep and BEautiful!
Thank you - lovely present and art!
Thanks for making this episode!
I never thought a poem could give me chills, but this one did!
A very beautiful narrative and narration. Thank you. Cape Town ❤️ 🙏 🤲
what a great and diverse series of events and persons ( i now see it ) brought me to this beautiful work of writing today, and to your presentation. suffice it to say, it was all divinely orchestrated. So deeply appreciated.
This was fantastic, thank you for sharing your knowledge of the sufi classics with us. Looking forward to watching more 😀 have a great day!
Okay. I’ve been tuning in for over a year and became a HUGE fan of Rumi thanks to Filip’s piece on this great poet. But THIS one on Attar… yasssss. 👑RULES.👑 Thank you always Filip, AWESOME research with references. Thanks for plugging Dr Angela Puca too, she is ON itttt. Much appreciation❣️👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Very inspiring thank you, I headed straight to Amazon and bought a copy.
I love your videos! I am an agnostic but more aligned with Buddhism - But I am currently farsi poetry and made my way to this piece. I am very upset because I only speak english, and I love metre and rhyme as they are my favourite parts of poetry, I don't think I am smart enough to learn Farsi tbh although I would love to. But your videos help me experience the english translations just a bit better. Thank you so much for your content!!! YOU ARE INCREDIBLE!
Thank you for this splendid introduction to this gorgeously-conceived work.💐
Stunningly beautiful poetry, and speaks deeply to the trials, all successful and failed experiments, of my own soul. I will be reading this straight away, thank you.
This is the most informative and clear explanation I've seen regarding"" The Conference of the Birds". I saw a few RUclips explanations by the so called "Experts", they don't even hold a small candle to this.
Wow! Is this beautiful. I am a student of A Course in Miracles, we get exaclty the same message there. But such a beautiful parable, this bird story.
One of your finest and most inspiring presentations. Thank you 🙏🏼
Thank you for revealing such a wonderful world to us ❤
Thank you so much for this ‘conference’.
Glorious! I notice that most of the ''Let's Talk Religion'' vids seem to go from my ''watch latter'' list (I'm short on time these days) to my cache of ''Favorites'' . The choice of topics, the art work. analysis, and the length of the presentation is perfection. We would all like to believe that all the paths of liberation and wisdom traditions teach essentially the same humanizing truths. These vids are diamonds that refract the light such that such a hope seems possible!
A really important poem to me.
A pleasure to hear it explained so well (I never realised the title was directly referring to Suryat an-Aml). Thank you.
(Nice one for mentioning the Afkham Darbandi/Dick Davis translation, the one I would ALWAYS recommend).
Excellent travail.. humanity needs you..Gratitude ❤🙏
Attar is very respected here in Iran. The most famous part of the book here is the story of "Sheikh e San'an". They also teach a bit about it in highschools.
Also as a Persian speaker, I must say the translation you mentioned really is incredible.
I read a dutch translation a long time ago, but the book got lost moving to the states. As I do not know the original language, I decided to order the one you present here. Thank you so much
Beautiful. Thanks for sharing knowledge.
I will definitely get this translation that you recommend 👌🏾💕
Much love,
Peace