Book Description

NIYAZI (1616-1694) was born in the small town of Aspuzi and was a poet of considerable talent. Sufism is the key-note of this poet's work; whatever else is to be found in his Divan is of secondary importance. It is obvious from many of his poems that at some time in his life he became a Perfect Master (Qutub) a God-realized soul. Although Niyazi wrote a good deal of prose his poetical work is confined to his Divan, which is restricted to gazels and qasidas... some of which are in Arabic while in others the lines are alternately in Arabic and Turkish. GAIBI (b. 1615-1620) was from a religious and when he was young, he received his teaching and training from them. After some years Gaibi joined the Malamet (blameless) Sufi order that goes back to the famous and infamous Sufi Perfect Master and Poet, Mansur al-Hallaj. In his gazels, qasidas he beautifully and powerfully states that the Absolute is the Perfect Master or God-realized soul who guides the lover of God along the Path through Love. Introduction on both poets Lives, Poetry & Times, Turkish Language & Poetry, Form of the Gazel & the Qasida, God-Realization, Sufism in Poetry. Three Appendixes, two on Malameti Sufism. The correct rhyme-structure has been kept and the meaning of all of these beautiful, powerful, spiritual poems. Large Print (16pt) & Large Format (7 x 10) Paperback Edition. Pages 459. Paul Smith (b.1945) is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages... including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Nesimi, Baba Farid, Lalla Ded, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Bulleh Shah, Mahsati Seemab, Jigar, Hali and many others, as well as poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and a dozen screenplays. amazon.com/author/smithpa Comments on Paul Smith's translation of Hafiz'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 and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart. "Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz." Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author). "I was very impressed with the beauty of these books." Dr. R.K. Barz. Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University.