What is the author's style in The Conference of the Birds by Farid al-Din Attar?

Farid al-Din Attar is a Persian poet who completes writing The Conference of the Birds in 1177 CE. Attar studies theology, is attached to the shrine of the Imam Reza at Mashhad, and later travels widely, seeking knowledge, and collecting an important volume of Muslim saints' lives. Settling in his hometown, Neishapour, Attar is charged with heresy for his poetry, is banished, but continues writing about mystical poets who are persecuted. He returns to Neishapour before he dies ca. 1220.

The 4,500-line poem offers an allegorical pilgrimage by the birds to see their king. As a narrative, it is generally told in the third person past tense. Most of the time, Attar speaks through a hoopoe bird, which in the Qur'an ("Ants" 27:20-28), undertakes a mission for King Solomon to investigate rumors that the land of Sheba is ruled by a woman and worships the sun rather than Allah. As the birds are introduced in The Conference of the Birds, the hoopoe leads off and mentions Solomon as his source of wisdom and strength. In time, after he has told innumerable stories to address the birds' complaints, excuses, and fears, the hoopoe is formally elected their leader and continues explaining the spiritual way to them. During the question-and-answer session, the hoopoe addresses individual birds directly in the second person.

Occasionally, Attar gets caught up in his admonitions to human readers and leaves the hoopoe behind. This most often occurs when dealing with Self and the most heavily philosophical parts. It makes little difference which narrator is involved. While describing the "Valley of Unity," Attar catches himself giving an aside about snakes and serpents, and tongue-in-cheek goads himself back on topic.