Composed in the twelfth century in north-eastern Iran, Attar's great mystical poem is among the most significant of all works of Persian literature. A marvellous, allegorical rendering of the Islamic doctrine of Sufism - an esoteric system concerned with the search for truth through God - it describes the consequences of the conference of the birds of the world when they meet to begin the search for their ideal king, the Simorgh bird. On hearing that to find him they must undertake an arduous journey, the birds soon express their reservations to their leader, the hoopoe. With eloquence and insight, however, the hoopoe calms their fears, using a series of riddling parables to provide guidance in the search for spiritual truth. By turns witty and profound, The Conference of the Birds transforms deep belief into magnificent poetry.

《群鸟的集会》，本为12世纪古波斯经典诗体寓言故事，经过彼得•西斯的精心改编，成为一本现代的诗体绘本。
全世界所有的鸟儿聚集到一起，共商天下大事。率先发言的是一只戴胜鸟，他认为所处的世界太糟糕，人们为了利益，导致环境污染、种族纷争、国家争战、人心迷失等不幸。传说，有一位名叫迦楼罗的国王能带领大家走出目前的困境。于是，戴胜鸟建议群鸟一起去寻找这位国王。出于对现实世界的失望，他们决定飞向遥远的卡弗山寻找迦楼罗国王。寻求之旅，艰辛而危险，途中要穿越七座峡谷：追寻之谷、爱之谷、理解之谷、超然之谷、大同之谷、惊愕之谷、死亡之谷。每一座峡谷都隐藏着一个秘密，等着他们去求索、解答。最终，有三十只鸟儿成功飞越了七座峡谷，见到了他们的“国王”……这是一个寓意极其丰富的故事。故事虽老，寓意日新。