*Rabi'a of Basra & Mansur Hallaj* Selected Poems Translation & Introduction Paul Smith RABI'A OF BASRA (717-801). Her Spiritual Master was Hazrat Hassan Basri. Throughout her life, her Love of God, poverty and self-denial did not waver. As her fame grew she had many disciples. She also had discussions with many of the renowned religious people of her time. More interesting than her absolute asceticism, however, is the actual concept of Divine Love that Rabi'a introduced. She was the first to introduce the idea that God should be loved for God's own sake. She is widely considered to be the most important of the early Sufi poets. She was the first in a long line of female Sufi mystics. MANSUR HALLAJ (859-922). He was a Perfect Master and a poet who born near Shiraz, Persia... a writer and teacher of Sufism most famous for his self-proclaimed divinity in his poetry and for his execution for heresy. Although Hallaj was born in Persia he wrote all of his works in Arabic. His influence on all Sufis, be they poets or not, who have come after him, cannot be overestimated. Included with a selecten of their poems in the correct form & meaning are biographies, selected bibliographies. Pages 134. 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. If he comes to Iran I will kiss the fingertips that wrote such a masterpiece." Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran. "Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator of works into Persian 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. Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of over 150 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, Mu'in, Amir Khusrau, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Omar Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Shah Latif, Bulleh Shah and many others, and his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books & 12 screenplays.