Contemplation on Verses from Attar's Manteq al Tayr

Document Type : Research article

Authors

Associate Professor of Persian Language and Literature. Faculty of Humanities. University of Zanjan. Zanjan. Iran.

Abstract

Attar's Manteq al Tayr is one of the most important mystical works of Persian literature; the existence of numerous manuscripts, the multiple revisions of this book, and its translation into different languages all indicate its special importance. The two Corrections of Manteq al Tayr, one by the capable hand of Professor Shafi'i Kadkani, which is accompanied by detailed annotations, and the other by Professors Abedi and Purnamdarian, and their explanations of the verses, have resolved many of the book's ambiguities and difficulties. Despite the valuable commentaries in these two books, as well as some other studies that have addressed the difficulties of the verses of Manteq al Tayr, the meaning presented for some verses is not very convincing, and it seems that there is still room for discussion about them. In the following article, a number of these verses, which the authors believe require further scrutiny, have been reviewed and criticized. Accordingly, an attempt has been made to first explain the inaccuracy or inadequacy of the explanations of these verses and then to present a more precise meaning for them with the help of evidence from Attar himself and other Persian literary texts.

Highlights

This study demonstrates that despite significant advances in the editing and exegesis of mystical Persian texts, ample room remains for refined, context-sensitive interpretations of difficult verses in Manteq al-tayr. Previous commentaries have occasionally relied too heavily on dictionary definitions or speculative assumptions, neglecting the poem’s internal coherence and broader cultural-literary context. By grounding interpretations in contemporaneous and earlier textual evidence—and by attending closely to Attar’s linguistic and mystical idiom—this research offers readings that are not only philologically robust but also thematically consistent with the work’s overarching vision. Such an approach not only deepens our understanding of Manteq al-tayr but also provides a methodological model for future studies in the interpretation of classical Persian texts.

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Main Subjects

References

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Persian Language and Literature
Volume 79, Issue 253 - Serial Number 253
Spring–Summer 2026
July 2026
Pages 135-155

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History

  • Receive Date: 07 September 2025
  • Revise Date: 14 December 2025
  • Accept Date: 29 October 2025
  • Publish Date: 22 June 2026

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