Next time you cross the covered bridge into Highland, look up to see, perched atop the townhomes, a massive sculpture of “Simurgh,” a benevolent mythical bird in Persian literature, made by local artist Will Kohler using rusted tractor parts.

 Nearly eight centuries ago, Persian Sufi poet, Attar of Nishapur, a contemporary of Rumi, wrote a poem called “The Conference of the Birds”. In the poem, the birds of the world gather to decide who is to be their sovereign, as they had none. The hoopoe, the wisest of them all, suggested they should find the legendary Simurgh. The hoopoe leads the birds, each of whom represents a human fault which prevents human kind from attaining enlightenment.

The hoopoe tells the birds that they have to cross seven valleys in order to reach the abode of Simurgh.

1. Valley of the Quest, where the Wayfarer begins by casting aside all dogma, belief, and unbelief.

2. Valley of Love, where reason is abandoned for the sake of love.

3. Valley of Knowledge, where worldly knowledge becomes utterly useless.

4. Valley of Detachment, where all desires and attachments to the world are given up. Here, what is assumed to be “reality” vanishes.

5. Valley of Unity, where the Wayfarer realizes that everything is connected and the Beloved is beyond everything, including harmony, multiplicity, and eternity.

6. Valley of Wonderment, where, entranced by the beauty of the Beloved, the Wayfarer becomes perplexed and, steeped in awe, finds that he or she has never known or understood anything.

7. Valley of Poverty and Annihilation, where the self disappears into the universe and the Wayfarer becomes timeless, existing in both the past and the future.

When the birds hear the description of these valleys, they bow their heads in distress; some even die of fright right then and there. But despite their great trepidations, they begin the great journey. On the way, many perish of thirst, heat or illness, while others fall prey to wild beasts, panic, and violence. Finally, only thirty (si) birds (murgh) make it to the abode of Simurgh atop the mountaintop, find his nest empty, but see their own shadow on the surface of the lake and realize they themselves are the Simurgh. 

In this poem, Attar tries to teach us that truth is not static, and we each tread a path according to our own capacity. It evolves as we evolve. Those who are trapped within their own dogma, clinging to hardened beliefs or faith, are deprived of the journey toward the unfathomable Divine.

For me, this is the moral of the story and the lesson I try to remember each time I enter Highland: we are the sovereign, and the Messiah we are waiting for.

— Sina.