Essay Questions

What do the seven valleys demonstrate in the poem?

The seven valleys represent the various stages in the path of spirituality. The author has used the allegory of birds and valleys to demonstrate the obstacles which mystics face during their spiritual path. A person has to give away his dogmatic beliefs, reason, worldly knowledge, the attachments of the world, and worldly commitments. After reaching the fifth valley, a person becomes able to see unity in everything. Eventually the mystics become overwhelmed with the presence of beloved and get lost in the universe.

What does hoopoe bird represent?

The hoopoe bird represent virtue in Persia and, in the poem, it represents the Sufi sheikh who guides the followers towards enlightenment. When the birds couldn’t reach any consensus after their conference, they consulted hoopoe for choosing their leader. Hoopoe is considered as the wisest of all birds so he guide the birds regarding the selection of their leader or king of all birds.

Who was Simurgh?

Hoopoe bird asks the birds to choose and find Simurgh to make him their leader. Simurgh is taken as a bird by the other birds but at the end of their journey they realize that He is a formless entity who is present everywhere. Only those people can get acquainted with Him and find Him within themselves, who succeed in crossing the seven valleys of worldly desires.

How many birds reach the last valley?

Only thirty birds reach the last valley. After reaching each valley, some of the birds were lost. The birds who reached the dwelling the Simurgh as proposed by hoopoe, saw their own reflection in the lake and they realized that Simurgh i.e. their leader was within themselves. According to the Sufi concept, they achieved enlightenment after defeating their Nafs by crossing those valleys.