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Winner of the Nautilus Awards 2020 in Gold: Gift & Specialty
Vivid translations by Coleman Barks, Robert Bly, Omid Safi, Meher Baba, and others combine with Michael and Saliha Green's stunning illustrations to bring the immortal poetry of the great Persian master Hafiz to life
"There is this matter
of the light in my eyes.
If you want to know the Friend,
don't expect elegant arguments!
Demand a blessing
from one who gives you joy."
--Hafiz (tr. Barks)
"Hafiz is without peer!" exclaimed Goethe. Known as "The Tongue of the Hidden Mysteries," Shams al-Din Muhammad Hafiz of Shiraz is the most revered of Persian poets. When the Sun of Infinite Reality dawned in his being, he poured forth mystic verse so sublime it touched the hearts of kings and commoners alike.
Hafiz's poems of intimate divine love spread through the East in his lifetime, then into the West, influencing such luminaries as Emerson, Brahms, Queen Victoria, Nietzsche, and Garcia Lorca. Today, nearly 700 years after his death, the unmatched genius and bold wit of Hafiz continues to ignite hearts and intoxicate souls everywhere.
The Illuminated Hafiz brings together vivid translations by Coleman Barks, Robert Bly, Omid Safi, Meher Baba, Peter Booth, and others with the luminous art of Michael and Saliha Green, weaving them into a stunning contemporary presentation in the tradition of classical Persian illuminated manuscripts and unveiling the mysteries of the path of love.
Come, raise a cup! Join with Hafiz and his incomparable love poems in a holy revel on the journey into light.
Hafiz
Háfiz is considered by many to be the greatest of all Sufi poets. Called the "Tongue of the Invisible" and the "Interpreter of Mysteries" he was acclaimed throughout the Islamic world during his lifetime, and remains the most popular poet in Iran today. His work, available in English translation since 1771, has left a profound mark on many Western writers including Thoreau, Emerson, Goethe, W. B. Yeats, Nietzsche, and Rimbaud.
More by Hafiz
Omid Safi
Translated by
Omid Safi is director of Duke University's Islamic Studies Center. He is the past Chair for the Study of Islam, and the current Chair for Islamic Mysticism Group at the American Academy of Religion. He is author or editor of several books, including Memories of Muhammad.
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