Late one moonless night The Sîmorgh first appeared She let a feather float down through the air, And rumours of its fame spread everywhere (i) The Canticle of the Birds written by the mystical poet Attar tells the story of all the birds in the world, who one day gather together to discuss who their Sovereign king is and where he could be found for they all have a yearning to meet the Sovereign Being. Among them, the little bird Hoopoe, chosen and sanctified by King Solomon knows that Sîmorgh is the Sovereign Being’s name and that she lives …