A 12th-century epic poem by
Farid Uddi Attar.
The tale depicts the Sufi Way, a spiritual journey toward absolute devotion to, submission to, and ultimate union with God through a renunciation of the world and an annihilation of the self.
In this other-worldly fable, the birds of the world are challenged to set out on a pilgrimage to find their King. Although many of the birds are fearful and resist going by presenting myriad excuses, eventually they embark on a quest that will test their conviction.
From http://web.stlawu.edu/news/birds.html
Also now an adapted theatrical presentation by Jean-Claude Carriere and Peter Brook.