SUFI STORIES OF THE MASTER POETS Translation & Introduction Paul Smith The masnavi is the main form used in Persian and other poetry to write epic ballads or romances or Sufi stories and is essentially a Persian invention. Each couplet has a different rhyme with both lines rhyming. This is to allow the poet greater freedom to go into a longer description of the subject he has chosen to present. With the masnavis of 'Enclosed Garden of the Truth' of Sana'i, the 'Five Treasures' of Nizami, the 'Conference of the Birds' and 'The Book of God' and many others by 'Attar, the 'Seven Thrones' of Jami and of course the great 'Masnavi' of Rumi... the form had become widely used in Sufism to tell stories. 'Arifi's 'Book of Ecstasy' masnavi is the last great Sufi masnavi poem before the last great Sufi poet of the Classical Period in Persian Poetry who mastered this form, Jami... also from Herat. The form & meaning has been kept in most translations of these beautiful, often witty, occasionally obscene, unpredictable, insightful, usually mystical poems. Introduction: Masnavi in Sufi Story-Telling Poetry, Some of the Great Masnavi Poets of Persia before Sana'i. THE POETS (Story Tellers) Sana'i, Nizami, 'Attar, Rumi, 'Iraqi, Sadi, Obeyd Zakani, Kasim Anvar, 'Arifi, Shah Da'i, Jami, Parvin, Paul. Large Format Paperback 7" x 10" 369 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 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). 'Perfect Translation." Amir, Amazon.com Paul Smith (b.1945) is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets from 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, Iqbal, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Ghalib, Jigar, Seemab and many others, as well as his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies and 12 screenplays. www.newhumanitybooks.com