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The Illuminated Hafiz: Love Poems for the Journey to Light
Winner of the Nautilus Awards 2020 in Gift & Specialty
Vivid translations by Coleman Barks, Robert Bly, Omid Safi, Meher Baba, and others combine with Michael and Saliha Green's stunning illustrations to bring the immortal poetry of the great Persian master Hafiz to life
“There is this matter
of the light in my eyes.
If you want to know the Friend,
don’t expect elegant arguments!
Demand a blessing
from one who gives you joy.”
―Hafiz (tr. Barks)
“Hafiz is without peer!” exclaimed Goethe. Known as “The Tongue of the Hidden Mysteries,” Shams al-Din Muhammad Hafiz of Shiraz is the most revered of Persian poets. When the Sun of Infinite Reality dawned in his being, he poured forth mystic verse so sublime it touched the hearts of kings and commoners alike.
Hafiz’s poems of intimate divine love spread through the East in his lifetime, then into the West, influencing such luminaries as Emerson, Brahms, Queen Victoria, Nietzsche, and Garcia Lorca. Today, nearly 700 years after his death, the unmatched genius and bold wit of Hafiz continues to ignite hearts and intoxicate souls everywhere.
The Illuminated Hafiz brings together vivid translations by Coleman Barks, Robert Bly, Omid Safi, Meher Baba, Peter Booth, and others with the luminous art of Michael and Saliha Green, weaving them into a stunning contemporary presentation in the tradition of classical Persian illuminated manuscripts and unveiling the mysteries of the path of love.
Come, raise a cup! Join with Hafiz and his incomparable love poems in a holy revel on the journey into light.
Vivid translations by Coleman Barks, Robert Bly, Omid Safi, Meher Baba, and others combine with Michael and Saliha Green's stunning illustrations to bring the immortal poetry of the great Persian master Hafiz to life
“There is this matter
of the light in my eyes.
If you want to know the Friend,
don’t expect elegant arguments!
Demand a blessing
from one who gives you joy.”
―Hafiz (tr. Barks)
“Hafiz is without peer!” exclaimed Goethe. Known as “The Tongue of the Hidden Mysteries,” Shams al-Din Muhammad Hafiz of Shiraz is the most revered of Persian poets. When the Sun of Infinite Reality dawned in his being, he poured forth mystic verse so sublime it touched the hearts of kings and commoners alike.
Hafiz’s poems of intimate divine love spread through the East in his lifetime, then into the West, influencing such luminaries as Emerson, Brahms, Queen Victoria, Nietzsche, and Garcia Lorca. Today, nearly 700 years after his death, the unmatched genius and bold wit of Hafiz continues to ignite hearts and intoxicate souls everywhere.
The Illuminated Hafiz brings together vivid translations by Coleman Barks, Robert Bly, Omid Safi, Meher Baba, Peter Booth, and others with the luminous art of Michael and Saliha Green, weaving them into a stunning contemporary presentation in the tradition of classical Persian illuminated manuscripts and unveiling the mysteries of the path of love.
Come, raise a cup! Join with Hafiz and his incomparable love poems in a holy revel on the journey into light.
- GenresPoetryArtSpirituality
160 pages, Hardcover
Published November 12, 2019
21 people are currently reading
79 people want to read
About the author
Hafez
339 books743 followersHāfez (حافظ) (Khwāja Shams-ud-Dīn Muḥammad Ḥāfeẓ-e Shīrāzī) was a Persian poet whose collected works (The Divan) are regarded as a pinnacle of Persian literature and are to be found in the homes of most people in Iran, who learn his poems by heart and still use them as proverbs and sayings.
His life and poems have been the subject of much analysis, commentary and interpretation, influencing post-14th century Persian writing more than any other author
Themes of his ghazals are the beloved, faith, and exposing hypocrisy. His influence in the lives of Persian speakers can be found in "Hafez readings" (fāl-e hāfez, Persian: فال حافظ) and the frequent use of his poems in Persian traditional music, visual art, and Persian calligraphy. His tomb is visited often. Adaptations, imitations and translations of his poems exist in all major languages.
Though Hafez is well known for his poetry, he is less commonly recognized for his intellectual and political contributions. A defining feature of Hafez' poetry is its ironic tone and the theme of hypocrisy, widely believed to be a critique of the religious and ruling establishments of the time. Persian satire developed during the 14th century, within the courts of the Mongol Period. In this period, Hafez and other notable early satirists, such as Ubayd Zakani, produced a body of work that has since become a template for the use of satire as a political device. Many of his critiques are believed to be targeted at the rule of Amir Mobarez Al-Din Mohammad, specifically, towards the disintegration of important public and private institutions. He was a Sufi Muslim.
His work, particularly his imaginative references to monasteries, convents, Shahneh, and muhtasib, ignored the religious taboos of his period, and he found humor in some of his society's religious doctrines. Employing humor polemically has since become a common practice in Iranian public discourse and persian satire is now perhaps the de facto language of Iranian social commentary.
شمس الدین محمد، حافظ شیرازی، ملقب به حافظ و لسان الغیب
مشهورترین و محبوبترین شاعر تاریخ زبان فارسی و ادبیات ایران
حوالی سال ۷۲۶ هجری قمری در شیراز متولد شد. علوم و فنون را در محفل درس برترین استادان زمان فراگرفت و در علوم ادبی عصر پایهای رفیع یافت. خاصه در علوم فقهی و الهی تأمل بسیار کرد و قرآن را با چهارده روایت مختلف از برداشت. پژوهشگران احتمال میدهند همین دلیل باعث شده لقب او حافظ شود. حافظ مسلمان و شیعه مذهب بود و در وادی سلوک و طریقت، عرفان خاص خود را داشت. دیوان اشعار او شامل غزلیات، چند قصیده، چند مثنوی، قطعات و رباعیات است. اما در شعر آنچه بیش از همه او را دست نیافتنی کرده است غزلهای حافظ است. حافظ در سال ۷۹۲ هجری قمری در شیراز درگذشت. آرامگاه او در حافظیهٔ شیراز زیارتگاه صاحبنظران و عاشقان شعر و ادب پارسی است. او همواره و
همچنان برای ادبیات پس از خود الهامبخش و تاثیرگذار بوده است
شعرِ حافظ در زمان آدم اندر باغ خُلد
دفترِ نسرین و گُل را زینتِ اوراق بود
His life and poems have been the subject of much analysis, commentary and interpretation, influencing post-14th century Persian writing more than any other author
Themes of his ghazals are the beloved, faith, and exposing hypocrisy. His influence in the lives of Persian speakers can be found in "Hafez readings" (fāl-e hāfez, Persian: فال حافظ) and the frequent use of his poems in Persian traditional music, visual art, and Persian calligraphy. His tomb is visited often. Adaptations, imitations and translations of his poems exist in all major languages.
Though Hafez is well known for his poetry, he is less commonly recognized for his intellectual and political contributions. A defining feature of Hafez' poetry is its ironic tone and the theme of hypocrisy, widely believed to be a critique of the religious and ruling establishments of the time. Persian satire developed during the 14th century, within the courts of the Mongol Period. In this period, Hafez and other notable early satirists, such as Ubayd Zakani, produced a body of work that has since become a template for the use of satire as a political device. Many of his critiques are believed to be targeted at the rule of Amir Mobarez Al-Din Mohammad, specifically, towards the disintegration of important public and private institutions. He was a Sufi Muslim.
His work, particularly his imaginative references to monasteries, convents, Shahneh, and muhtasib, ignored the religious taboos of his period, and he found humor in some of his society's religious doctrines. Employing humor polemically has since become a common practice in Iranian public discourse and persian satire is now perhaps the de facto language of Iranian social commentary.
شمس الدین محمد، حافظ شیرازی، ملقب به حافظ و لسان الغیب
مشهورترین و محبوبترین شاعر تاریخ زبان فارسی و ادبیات ایران
حوالی سال ۷۲۶ هجری قمری در شیراز متولد شد. علوم و فنون را در محفل درس برترین استادان زمان فراگرفت و در علوم ادبی عصر پایهای رفیع یافت. خاصه در علوم فقهی و الهی تأمل بسیار کرد و قرآن را با چهارده روایت مختلف از برداشت. پژوهشگران احتمال میدهند همین دلیل باعث شده لقب او حافظ شود. حافظ مسلمان و شیعه مذهب بود و در وادی سلوک و طریقت، عرفان خاص خود را داشت. دیوان اشعار او شامل غزلیات، چند قصیده، چند مثنوی، قطعات و رباعیات است. اما در شعر آنچه بیش از همه او را دست نیافتنی کرده است غزلهای حافظ است. حافظ در سال ۷۹۲ هجری قمری در شیراز درگذشت. آرامگاه او در حافظیهٔ شیراز زیارتگاه صاحبنظران و عاشقان شعر و ادب پارسی است. او همواره و
همچنان برای ادبیات پس از خود الهامبخش و تاثیرگذار بوده است
شعرِ حافظ در زمان آدم اندر باغ خُلد
دفترِ نسرین و گُل را زینتِ اوراق بود
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 19, 2020
I received this newly published illustrated collaboration as a Christmas gift and what a marvelous one it was!
The Illuminated Hafiz is an inspiring and lovely book, both visually and in the deep contemplative inward unfolding poems. I open to a page or two at a time in quiet moments for inspiration and to savor and imbibe the sweet play of word and image.
Also of much interest are the included essays giving insightful background from scholarly and well respected students/masters of the wisdom traditions.
And although the lines come from many translators the light and genius of Hafiz harmoniously shines through them all.
In short, a work one may treasure for a lifetime!
The Illuminated Hafiz is an inspiring and lovely book, both visually and in the deep contemplative inward unfolding poems. I open to a page or two at a time in quiet moments for inspiration and to savor and imbibe the sweet play of word and image.
Also of much interest are the included essays giving insightful background from scholarly and well respected students/masters of the wisdom traditions.
And although the lines come from many translators the light and genius of Hafiz harmoniously shines through them all.
In short, a work one may treasure for a lifetime!
February 19, 2021
ALMOST BURIED TREASURE!
We are only able to read less than 10% of what this remarkable poet wrote. The fundamentalist clergy of his day destroyed 90% of what he wrote, because he saw beyond their hateful, harsh interpretations of their holy book and taught that the Creator of all was kind, compassionate, loving, and cared for all creation, not just those in their group.
This book is SO relevant in our time of scary fundamentalists, whatever holy book they twist in their sad quest for power.
I’m told that in Iran, to this day his books outsell the Koran.
Peace be upon him! If you love Rumi, you’ll love Hafiz!
We are only able to read less than 10% of what this remarkable poet wrote. The fundamentalist clergy of his day destroyed 90% of what he wrote, because he saw beyond their hateful, harsh interpretations of their holy book and taught that the Creator of all was kind, compassionate, loving, and cared for all creation, not just those in their group.
This book is SO relevant in our time of scary fundamentalists, whatever holy book they twist in their sad quest for power.
I’m told that in Iran, to this day his books outsell the Koran.
Peace be upon him! If you love Rumi, you’ll love Hafiz!
May 13, 2022
The Illuminated Jewel by Omid Safi, PhD ✔
A Mystical Carpet Ride by Michael and Saliha Green ✔
Chapter One: The Sky-Wheel Turns Us 4.5⭐
Chapter Two: The Street of the Friend 5⭐
Chapter Three: The Garden Is Breathing 4⭐
Chapter Four: The Palace of Oneness 4.5⭐
Hafiz and the Wellspring of Creativity: A Biography by Peter Booth 4⭐
Glossary ✔
A Mystical Carpet Ride by Michael and Saliha Green ✔
Chapter One: The Sky-Wheel Turns Us 4.5⭐
Chapter Two: The Street of the Friend 5⭐
Chapter Three: The Garden Is Breathing 4⭐
Chapter Four: The Palace of Oneness 4.5⭐
Hafiz and the Wellspring of Creativity: A Biography by Peter Booth 4⭐
Glossary ✔
July 19, 2020
I did not love the poetry itself. However, many of the illustrations were beautifully done. Every page has a completely different drawing and it was exciting to turn the page and have no idea what you may encounter.
February 10, 2022
This book is gorgeous; it features the beautiful poems of Hafiz with some lovely illustrations. Good to own.
April 7, 2022
Exquisite!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews