DIVAN Ghazals... 1974 - 2014 by PAUL SMITH In 1974 Australian poet Paul Smith began a 12 year journey translating his acclaimed Divan of Hafiz (many 'greats' say the world's finest poet). To do this he had to master the ancient form of the ghazal in which Hafiz was considered the 'Master'. So, for the first time in the English language he composed his own ghazals and would continue to do so for the following forty years, inspired by his Spiritual Master Meher Baba and Hafiz and many great poets of this form that he would put into beautiful c orrect rhyming English... including Sadi, Rumi, 'Attar, Amir Khusrau, Makhfi and about 60 others... all great poets of this wonderful, mystical, most ancient and most difficult form of poetry. He would even create a number of books of Anthologies of the ghazal from Adam to the latest. Here are ALL of his own ghazals from 1974 to the present with an Introduction on his life & that of his Spiritual Master (also a poet of the ghazal named Huma whom Paul translated) and a chapter on the ghazal in all languages. 740 pages.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.." Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran. "Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator in English into Persian and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart."I was very impressed with the beauty of these books." Dr. R.K. Barz. Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University. "Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz." Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author). Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets from the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish and other languages... including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Baba Farid, Mu'in, Lalla Ded, Mahsati and others and his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and screenplays. amazon.com/author/smithpa Published by New Humanity Books
