Ghazals of Hafez: Original Translations Volume One

The present volume contains original Persian to English translations of the first 300 ghazals of Hafez, primarily based on the Divan of Hafez compiled by Mohamad Qodsi, published in Iran by Nasr Cheshme, summer of 1381 (2002 in the Gregorian Calendar), with a second printing in 1387 (2008).Khājeh Shams-od-Dīn Moḥammad Ḥāfeẓ-e Shīrāzī (Persian: خواجه شمسالدین محمد حافظ شیرازی), known by his pen name Hafez (حافظ Ḥāfeẓ lit.'the memorizer' or 'the keeper'; 1325–1390) or Hafiz, also known by his nickname Lisan al-Ghaib ('the tongue of the unseen'), was a Persian lyric poet whose collected works are regarded by many as one of the highest achievements in Persian literature. His works are often found in the homes of Persian speakers, who learn his poems by heart and use them as everyday proverbs and sayings. Hafez is best known for his Divān, a collection of his surviving poems probably compiled after his death. Hafez primarily wrote in the literary genre of lyric poetry or ghazals, which is the ideal style for expressing the ecstasy of divine inspiration in the mystical form of love poems.Themes of his ghazals include the laments of the lover to the Beloved, many profound spiritual nuggets of Truth and poetic depiction of the stages of inner attainment, as well as an unabashed criticism of hypocrisy. In his ghazals, Hafez deals with subjects like wine (metaphor for divine love), taverns (places of gathering for aspirants), Saqi (wine-bearer, Master), shedding tears of blood (intense longing for the Beloved), and so much more, all representing aspects of the human journey, whether interpreted in the worldly sense or in the voice of the lover of God who has renounced the attractions of the world in exchange for spiritual ecstasy, freedom from orthodoxy, and ultimate union with the real Self (God), which is the destiny of all beings, and the true purpose of life.Many Iranians use his Divan for divination (Persian: فال حافظ, romanized: fāl-e hāfez). His ghazals are often used in Persian traditional music, visual arts and Persian calligraphy. His tomb is located in his birthplace of Shiraz, where many ardent enthusiasts visit as a pilgrimage site. Read more