din. Here he resided for some time engaged
in devotional practices, and then made the pilgrimage to Mecca, where he
met with many devotees and conceived the idea of compiling a collection
of stories of the holy men of Islam. To this work he devoted several
years of his long life; he also composed a Pand-nama or "Book of
Counsels." But the work by which he is chiefly known is the
"Mantiq-ut-tair" or "Parliament of Birds," and of this we proceed to
give some account.

In this allegorical poem various birds representing mystics, unite
themselves under the leadership of the hoopoe in order to journey to the
court of the Simurgh, a mysterious bird whose name signifies "thirty
birds," dwelling in Mount Kaf, the mountain which encircles the world.
At the commencement of the poem there is a long debate between the
hoopoe and the other birds, who at first allege various excuses for not
undertaking the journey, while he rebukes them for their lukewarmness,
not concealing, however, the fact that the journey is full of peril, and
that though many start few will reach the goal. The hoopoe's description
of the road is as follows: "We have seven valleys to traverse.[47] The
first is the Valley of Search; the second the Valley of Love, which has
no limits; the third is the Valley of Knowledge; the fourth is the
Valley of Independence; the fifth is the Valley of Unity, pure and
simple; the sixth is the Valley of Amazement; last of all is the valley
of Poverty and Annihilation, beyond which there is no advance. There
thou wilt feel thyself drawn, but will have no power to go any further.

"(1) When thou enterest the Valley of Search, at every step new trials
will present themselves; there the parrot of the celestial sphere is as
mute as a fly. There thou must cast away all thy possessions and imperil
all thy riches. Not only must the hand be empty, but thy heart must be
detached from all that is earthly. Then the Light of the Divine Essence
will begin to cast upon thee some rays.

"(2) In order to enter the second valley (of love) thou must be made all
of fire; he who is not composed of fire will find no pleasure in that
valley; he must not think of the future, but be ready to sacrifice a
hundred worlds to the flames, if needs be. Faith and infidelity, good
and evil, religion and irreligion, are all one for him who has arrived
at the second stage; for where love reigns, none of them exist any more.

"(3) In the third valley (of knowle