RIBALD POEMS OF THE SUFI POETS Abu Nuwas, Sana'i, Anvari, Mahsati, Rumi, Sadi and Obeyd Zakani Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Some of the greatest of the Arabic & Persian Sufi poets composed ribald and at times 'obscene' poems for satirical and often (as in the case of Rumi) for teaching some spiritual truth or moral. Here is a wide-ranging selection of the greatest of them from the eleventh to the fourteenth century. Here are at times hilarious, witty, weird, and erotic and obscene poems in most of the various forms of classical Persian poetry... the ghazal, the ruba'i, the masnavi, the qit'a, the qasida and the tarji-band. 206 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. I am astonished. If he comes to Iran I will kiss the fingertips that wrote such a masterpiece inspired by the Creator of all." Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran. "Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator of many mystical works in English 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). Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of over 130 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, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Mu'in, Lalla Ded, Rabi'a, Nesimi, Ibn Yamin, Baba Farid, Amir Khusrau, Ghalib, Iqbal and many others, as well as poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books, talks and essays and a dozen screenplays.