The Story of the Parrot and the Merchant. Interpreted By Zahra Partovi With Drawings By Don Kunz

Small 4to. (9 1/2" x 6 1/2"), 36 pp. with five woodblock prints. Number 39 of 50 special copies signed by the artist and translator and containing an extra bound suite of the five woodblock prints, all housed in the publisher’s gray slipcase. The total publication run was 200 copies, each on Rives paper. The letterpress text was printed at The Kelly/Winterton Press in Arrighi, Bembo and Rhapsodie types. Bound in tan wrappers, with the title printed in purple on the front cover. The author and title on the spine, and the author on the front cover are printed in brown. The companion suite is bound in matching wrappers, with no spine or cover printing. Fine, as issued.

The Persian poet and mystic, Rumi, lived from 1207 to 1273. The interpretation of this parable is from Rumi’s first book of the Nasravi. The parable tells of a parrot that brings its merchant owner endless pleasure through beautiful song. The merchant plans a trip to India and asks the parrot what gift he should bring back. The parrot rejects a gift but requests the merchant to visit free parrots to tell them that the imprisoned parrot would like to visit them. Upon hearing the merchant’s message, one of the free parrots trembles and dies. The merchant explains that event to his parrot upon his return. After hearing about it, the imprisoned parrot trembles and falls dead. The merchant takes the parrot from his cage and lies it on the ground. The parrot is not dead after all, but flies away. The merchant is amazed at the parrot’s death and resurrection. The parrot explains to the merchant that the parrot in India showed that only silence would free the imprisoned bird.