When all the birds had heard this story, they too resolved to renounce life. The thought of the Simurgh took the rest from their hearts; the love of Him alone filled the hearts of a hundred thousand birds. They formed the design of setting out, a praiseworthy design, and promptly made their preparations. All said: “Now we must provide ourselves, at our own expense, with a guide to bind and unbind. We need a leader for our journey, for one cannot act according to one’s own ideas. We need an excellent guide on such a road, in the hope that he may save us from this deep sea. We shall obey this guide with all our hearts; we shall do as he says, good or evil, so that at last our ball may fall, far from this place of boasting, into the mallet of the Caucasus. Thus shall we join the majestic sun; the shadow of the Simurgh shall fall upon us.” At last the birds said: “Since we have no acknowledged chief, let us cast lots; that is the best way. He upon whom the lot falls shall be our chief; he shall be great among the little.” When the lots had been drawn, the hearts of the impatient birds regained their peace.
Indeed, when the matter was decided, the commotion subsided, and all the birds fell silent. They therefore drew lots for a
All accepted the loving hoopoe as their guide and resolved to obey her, even at the cost of their lives, whatever she might command. Then, with one accord, they all said: “The hoopoe is henceforth our chief, our guide, and our leader on this path. We shall receive her commands and obey her; to please her, we shall spare neither our souls nor our bodies.”
When the enterprising hoopoe arrived after her appointment, they placed the crown upon her head. A hundred thousand birds came flocking to the path; they were so numerous that they hid the moon and the fish. When they glimpsed, from the path, the entrance to the first valley, they took flight in terror, right up to the moon. The dread of this path seized their souls, and a blazing fire seized their hearts. All eagerly shook their feathers, wings, feet, and heads. All, with pure intent, renounced life; for their task was arduous and the path long. It was a path on which one could not advance and where, strange to say, there was neither good nor evil. Silence and stillness reigned there; there was neither increase nor decrease.
All accepted the loving hoopoe as their guide and resolved to obey her, even at the cost of their lives, whatever she might command. Then, with one accord, they all said: “The hoopoe is henceforth our chief, our guide, and our leader on this path. We shall receive her commands and obey her; to please her, we shall spare neither our souls nor our bodies.”
When the enterprising hoopoe arrived after her appointment, they placed the crown upon her head. A hundred thousand birds came flocking to the path; they were so numerous that they hid the moon and the fish. When they glimpsed, from the path, the entrance to the first valley, they took flight in terror, right up to the moon. The dread of this path seized their souls, and a blazing fire seized their hearts. All eagerly shook their feathers, wings, feet, and heads. All, with pure intent, renounced life; for their task was arduous and the path long. It was a path on which one could not advance and where, strange to say, there was neither good nor evil. Silence and stillness reigned there; there was neither increase nor decrease.
However, one of the birds asked the hoopoe, “Why is this path deserted?” The hoopoe answered him, “It is because of the awe inspired by the king, to whose dwelling it leads.”
One day the shaikh Bayazid went out of the city, and found a profound silence everywhere. The moon illumined the world, and by its radiance made the night bright as day. The sky was covered with its stars, symmetrically grouped, each with its special function. The shaikh walked for a long time across the fields, finding not the slightest movement there, and seeing no one. He was moved by this and said, “Lord, a keen feeling of sorrow stirs my heart. Why is a court as sublime as Thine without eager worshippers?”—“Cease to wonder,” said an inward voice to him; “the king does not admit everyone to his court. His dignity does not permit Him to receive beggars at His gate. When the sanctuary of our splendour pours forth its radiance, it drives away the heedless sleepers; those who are to be admitted to this court wait for whole years, until one among a thousand can gain access to it.”
One day the shaikh Bayazid went out of the city, and found a profound silence everywhere. The moon illumined the world, and by its radiance made the night bright as day. The sky was covered with its stars, symmetrically grouped, each with its special function. The shaikh walked for a long time across the fields, finding not the slightest movement there, and seeing no one. He was moved by this and said, “Lord, a keen feeling of sorrow stirs my heart. Why is a court as sublime as Thine without eager worshippers?”—“Cease to wonder,” said an inward voice to him; “the king does not admit everyone to his court. His dignity does not permit Him to receive beggars at His gate. When the sanctuary of our splendour pours forth its radiance, it drives away the heedless sleepers; those who are to be admitted to this court wait for whole years, until one among a thousand can gain access to it.”