prostrated, their hearts broken, their souls fainting, their bodies worn
out by fatigue. They had arrived at the Palace of the Simurgh. A
chamberlain of the King, who saw these thirty hapless birds without
feathers or wings, questioned them whence they came, and why. 'We have
come,' they answered, 'that the Simurgh may become our king. The love
that we feel for him has unsettled our reason. We have denied ourselves
all rest to follow the road that leads to Him. It is very long since we
started, and of our many millions, only thirty have reached the goal.
The hope of appearing here has buoyed us up hitherto; may the King think
kindly of the perils we have undergone, and cast upon us at least a
glance of compassion.' The chamberlain returned a harsh answer, and
ordered them to go back, telling them that the King had no need of their
homage. This answer at first cast them into despair, but afterwards,
imitating the moth which seeks certain death in the flame of the lamp,
they persisted in their request to be admitted to the presence of the
Simurgh. Their steadfastness did not remain unrewarded. The "chamberlain
of grace" came out, opened a door, and presented them with a document
which he ordered them to read. This contained a list of all the sins
which the birds had committed against the Simurgh. The perusal of it
caused them nothing less than death, but this death was for them the
birth into a new life."

Attar says: "By reason of the shame and confusion which these birds
experienced, their bodies became dust, and their souls were annihilated.
When they were entirely purified from all earthly elements, they all
received a new life. All that they had done or omitted to do during
their earthly existence passed entirely out of mind. The sun of
proximity burnt them, that is to say, their former existence was
consumed by the sun of the Divine Essence which they had approached, and
a ray of this light produced a life which animated them all. At this
moment they beheld themselves reflected in the Simurgh.[49] When they
stole a glance at Him, He appeared to be the thirty birds themselves;
when they looked at themselves, they seemed to be the Simurgh; and when
they looked at both together, only one Simurgh appeared. The situation
was inexpressible in words. They were all submerged in an ocean of
stupefaction, with all faculties of thought suspended. Without moving a
tongue, they interrogated the Awful Presence for an explanation