Now available from Finishing Line Press

Ordering Information:

We have a limited number of copies available, signed by the author. Shipping is free. Just click the “Buy Now” link below, which takes you to PayPal. If you desire a special inscription, make sure to add the text in the Paypal note field. For any questions, please write wflantry1@gmail.com.

A quick note about Attar,  Gacelas,  and Birds:

Farid Attar ran a small pharmacy in a city in ancient Persia. He also wrote long mystical poems. One of them was called The Conference of the Birds. The main character in that poem is a colorful bird,  the Hoopoe. We don’t have hoopoes in North America,  but I used to see them in my garden in Southern France.

The Hoopoe is the wisest of birds. He’s gathered knowledge,  and he’s heard stories. One story he’s heard tells of a mysterious bird-of-birds,  the Simorgh,  who lives in China (China here means some far-off place). The Hoopoe tries to convince all the other birds they should set off on a pilgrimage to find the Simorgh.

But each bird makes excuses. Each has a perfectly good reason not to go. One likes the garden where he lives,  another is too busy,  a third thinks it might be dangerous. Each poem in this collection reflects the activities and character of an individual bird from Attar’s poem. At last the birds end up convincing themselves the Hoopoe’s right,  and finally all flock together and head for China.

Attar wrote in epic form,  with long stories,  arguments,  and responses. But the short lyrics here are called Gacelas. Gacelas are small,  light poems,  as graceful and quick as gazelles. Related to ancient Moorish Ghazals,  but with different structure,  they were revived by Federico García Lorca in the early 20th century.  These poems are patterned on his “Gacela of the Unforeseen Love.”

In poetry,  the language of birds is imagined as a secret,  perfect language,  mystical,  even divine,  full of beauty and knowledge,  the language of angels.  It was the key to Solomon’s wisdom, and the secret to Orpheus’  love songs.

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A few nice words from James Robison:

“W.F. Lantry has set himself the thrillingly daunting tasks of re-imagining the teachings of Farid ud-Din Attar, and casting up anew the old magic of that poet’s The Conference of The Birds. I can think of no writer better suited:  Lantry is skilled in conjuring the mystically real and here composes an exquisite music of exact forms,  avian and verse,  to depict designs of delight and instruction,  flight and illumination.

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Ordering Information:

We have a limited number of copies available, signed by the author. Shipping is free. Just click the “Buy Now” link below, which takes you to PayPal. If you desire a special inscription, make sure to add the text in the Paypal note field. For any questions, please write wflantry1@gmail.com.

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