Hafez for the Twenty-First Century

HAFEZ FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY Selected Ghazals of Hafez and Ghazals inspired by them by his Translator Paul Smith. The ghazal, spiritual love poems or mystical blues in a strict rhyming-structure, are still very popular in the Indian Sub-continent and the Middle-East of today. It is the oldest of all forms of poetry. The greatest Master of the ghazal was Hafez of Shiraz (1320-1392). This is a completely revised edition of a poetic translation of hundreds of Hafez's masterpieces from his Divan. The spiritual and historical and human content is here in understandable, beautiful poetry: the correct rhyme-structure has been achieved, without intruding, in readable English for the first time. Each poem is followed by a ghazal by his translator for many years Paul Smith, using the first couplets of Hafez's ghazals for inspiration, truly relevant for this age, as do remain those of Hafez. Gertrude Bell: "It is as if his mental Eye, endowed with wonderful acuteness of vision, had penetrated into those provinces of thought which we of a later age were destined to inhabit." In the Introduction Hafez's life story is told in greater detail than anywhere else; his spirituality is explored, the form and function and influence of his poetry on the east & west .Included are notes to many poems, glossary, selected bibliography and two appendixes. Meher Baba: "There is no equal to Hafiz in poetry. He was a Perfect Master ... His Divan is the best book in the world because it engenders feelings which ultimately lead to illumination." Large print (14pt) & Large Format Paperback (8" x 10"). 521 pages. Comments on Paul Smith's Translation of Hafez's Divan "It is not a joke... the English version of all the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat and of paramount importance. I am astonished." Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran. "Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator of English to Persian and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart. Paul Smith (b.1945) is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets of Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish and other languages including Hafiz, Sadi, Iqbal, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Mu'in, Amir Khusrau, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, many others, and his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, kids books, screenplays.