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I Heard God Laughing: Poems of Hope and Joy
From bestselling poet Daniel Ladinsky, a rich collection that brings the great Sufi poet Hafiz to Western readers
To Persians, the poems of Hafiz are not “classical literature” from a remote past but cherished wisdom from a dear and intimate friend that continues to be quoted in daily life. With uncanny insight, Hafiz captures the many forms and stages of love. His poetry outlines the stages of the mystic's “path of love”—a journey in which love dissolves personal boundaries and limitations to join larger processes of growth and transformation.
With this stunning collection, Ladinsky has succeeded brilliantly in capturing the essence of one of Islam’s greatest poetic and spiritual voices.
“If you haven’t yet had the delight of dining with Daniel Ladinsky’s sweet, playful renderings of the musings of the great saints, I Heard God Laughing is a perfect appetizer. . . . This newly released edition of his first playful foray into Hafiz’s divinely inspired poetry is essential reading. . . . Ladinsky is a master who will be remembered for finally bringing Hafiz alive in the West.” —Alexandra Marks, The Christian Science Monitor
To Persians, the poems of Hafiz are not “classical literature” from a remote past but cherished wisdom from a dear and intimate friend that continues to be quoted in daily life. With uncanny insight, Hafiz captures the many forms and stages of love. His poetry outlines the stages of the mystic's “path of love”—a journey in which love dissolves personal boundaries and limitations to join larger processes of growth and transformation.
With this stunning collection, Ladinsky has succeeded brilliantly in capturing the essence of one of Islam’s greatest poetic and spiritual voices.
“If you haven’t yet had the delight of dining with Daniel Ladinsky’s sweet, playful renderings of the musings of the great saints, I Heard God Laughing is a perfect appetizer. . . . This newly released edition of his first playful foray into Hafiz’s divinely inspired poetry is essential reading. . . . Ladinsky is a master who will be remembered for finally bringing Hafiz alive in the West.” —Alexandra Marks, The Christian Science Monitor
93 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1996
198 people are currently reading
4321 people want to read
About the author
Hafez
338 books742 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 - 30 of 210 reviews
November 24, 2018
First of all, many thanks to B. O. who gave me this chance to get acquainted with such book and read it.
***
***
Still, what kind of LOVE that makes me as a man to throw myself into other's male bed for GOD's sake?!
I myself can find my LOVE as in the woods, staring at nightly skies, holding the hand of BELOVED person.
***
Finally, I conclude that these mystic poets are outside of any logic classification of gender and partnership. They only see GOD in all their ways:
***
What if we loved the way He did?
It would be a LOVE for itself, without imaging, without personification, without realizing that you may be in an attachment with a creature is full of blood and flesh.
***
What kind of love is here?
I think It's a weird manner of loving, a weird kind of being in an intimate attachment with "someone". I believe that LOVE is one thing, which has so many sides and faces. We choose the way we are capable of.
I still can not assimilate such kind of love with Masters, Exotic Creatures and Queer Elephants!
***
«Now,
Gather All your courage -
Throw yourself into his bed!
He will probably kill you.
Fantastic-
That's the whole idea!»
Still, what kind of LOVE that makes me as a man to throw myself into other's male bed for GOD's sake?!
I myself can find my LOVE as in the woods, staring at nightly skies, holding the hand of BELOVED person.
***
Finally, I conclude that these mystic poets are outside of any logic classification of gender and partnership. They only see GOD in all their ways:
«Once a young woman asked me,
"How does it feel to be a man?"
And I replied,
"My dear,
I'm not so sure."
Then she said,
"Well, aren't you a man?"
And this time I replied,
"I view gender
As a beautiful animal
That people often take for a walk on a leash
And might enter in some odd contest
To try to win strange prizes.
My dear,
A better question for Hafiz
Would have been,
How does it feel to be a heart?
For all I know is Love,
And I find my heart Infinite
And Everywhere!"»
***
It would be a LOVE for itself, without imaging, without personification, without realizing that you may be in an attachment with a creature is full of blood and flesh.
July 29, 2016
The Sufist poet Hafiz is one of my favorite and I turn to him time and time again for strength and to tap into the joy I feel in my testimony of God. In the past, I had read the translations done by Emerson. But my good friend Brad encouraged me to read Ladinsky's translation and I am eternally grateful...
Here is just a taste...
"To show this dear world that everything in existence does point to God."
"I am happy even before I have a reason."
"All I know is Love, and I find my heart Infinite and Everywhere!"
"What is this precious love and laughter budding in our hearts? It is the glorious sound of a soul waking up!"
"A poet is someone who can pour Light into a spoon, then raise it to nourish your beautiful parched, holy mouth."
"Start seeing everything as God, but keep it a secret."
"My heart is a raging volcano of love for you!"
Here is just a taste...
"To show this dear world that everything in existence does point to God."
"I am happy even before I have a reason."
"All I know is Love, and I find my heart Infinite and Everywhere!"
"What is this precious love and laughter budding in our hearts? It is the glorious sound of a soul waking up!"
"A poet is someone who can pour Light into a spoon, then raise it to nourish your beautiful parched, holy mouth."
"Start seeing everything as God, but keep it a secret."
"My heart is a raging volcano of love for you!"
October 12, 2010
This book of poetry is a must for both those who love poetry and those who are simply spiritual. This is a book to pull off the shelf when you are in need of inspiration or seeking spiritual guidance.
"I wish I could show you,
When you are lonely or in darkness,
The Astonishing Light
Of your own Being!" Hafiz
"I wish I could show you,
When you are lonely or in darkness,
The Astonishing Light
Of your own Being!" Hafiz
June 1, 2013
4.5/5. So rich and generous, full of prayer and gratitude and wondrous joy. So many lovely poems in here... imagery of the sky's soft skirt and swollen balls of a divine rogue elephant somehow find themselves in the same passages and I cannot help but laugh at the playful absurdity. I love the mischief, the intoxication of it all.
"Look at the smile on the earth's lips this morning, she laid again with me last night."
-
"Once God made love to a great saint
Who had a hairy belly.
O my dear, of course things like that can happen."
-
"Clouds pull each other's pants down
And point and laugh.
O my dear, of course things like that can happen."
:)
"Look at the smile on the earth's lips this morning, she laid again with me last night."
-
"Once God made love to a great saint
Who had a hairy belly.
O my dear, of course things like that can happen."
-
"Clouds pull each other's pants down
And point and laugh.
O my dear, of course things like that can happen."
:)
March 10, 2021
One regret, dear world,
That I am determined not to have
When I'm lying on my deathbed
Is that
I did not kiss you enough.
That I am determined not to have
When I'm lying on my deathbed
Is that
I did not kiss you enough.
June 20, 2023
okay so this was really good, really worth spending time reading & i especially found the preface & notes to be great🥰 it was also so readable and surprisingly relatable considering when it was written & then when it was translated🥳 i completely get his viberinos about god but i just cannot relate because i’m not religious at all so it was a bit tedious at times
May 14, 2020
I really do love Hafiz! However, I’m not as fond of a “translator” that doesn’t know Farsi placing a (quite thick) lens over Hafiz poems. Some of the poems read less awkwardly than others (the portions toward the end I actually enjoyed!), but I could not appreciate the modernized imagery as well as the spiritual ambiguity that Western translators so often bring to classic Sufi poets such as Hafiz and Rumi (Coleman Barks doesn’t know Farsi either). It takes away so much of the richness and original inspiration of the poets, diluting their work down to some kind of weak spiritual salve for secular disillusionment. I was shocked to learn how many of these translators write these collections based off of existing English translations; it seems more like a telephone game of incredibly influential and celebrated poetry, which is academically, spiritually, and culturally disappointing. I’m definitely going to try to seek out more English translations that are more true to the originals.
July 11, 2008
Hafiz touches absolute Light in the poems in this book! I remember getting this book from a girl named Amy Johnson at a random Starbucks...We both were there for a reason - we just didn't exactly know why...but that soon changed, as we ended up having a 2 hour intensely philosophical conversation about raising consciousness levels in ourselves and others.
:)
Needless to say, after I left the coffee shop, I walked over 12 miles and read the entire book in one reading! I stopped a few times during my journey in shaded areas that were blooming with plant and animal life, and took some time out to just pause...AND SMILE...AND LAUGH!!!
I really enjoyed this book.
:)
Needless to say, after I left the coffee shop, I walked over 12 miles and read the entire book in one reading! I stopped a few times during my journey in shaded areas that were blooming with plant and animal life, and took some time out to just pause...AND SMILE...AND LAUGH!!!
I really enjoyed this book.
July 3, 2012
I read these poems out loud to myself and to a friend, because they demanded vocalization. It was like having a conversation with a joyous man who talks with God the way he talks with me, like he really knows God and laughs with him frequently. A great book of poems about loving God, yourself and life.
Read
November 5, 2025I love these poems so much, they’re truly touching and it feels like they open my eyes every time I read them
May 24, 2021
I rated this book on the understanding that the author is not fluent in the Persian language of Hafiz and relied solely on English translations, therefore his poems our his own words albeit inspired by translators of Hafiz. I found in general his poetry was lovely and very spiritual sometimes I was on his wavelength and sometimes not. I especially loved the section titled "Set This Dry Boring Place on Fire!"
"Poetry is a national art in Persia, somewhat like opera in Italy. Even in modern Iran, people at every social level know the great poets, argue passionately about their favorites, and quote them constantly everyday in conversation." Excerpt from Henry S. Mindlin’s Introduction from A Year with Hafiz: Daily Contemplations by Daniel Ladinsky (p. xx).
"In introductions to his books, Ladinsky notes that he offers interpretations and renderings of the poets, rather than literal or scholarly translations. His work is based on conveying and being 'faithful to the living spirit' of Hafiz, Rumi, and other mystic poets. . . . But Hafez scholars have argued that his writings have no connection to the great Persian poets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_...
"A great scholar of Persian and Urdu literature, Christopher Shackle, describes Ladinsky’s output as 'not so much a paraphrase as a parody of the wondrously wrought style of the greatest master of Persian art-poetry.' Another critic, Murat Nemet-Nejat, described Ladinsky’s poems as what they are: original poems of Ladinsky masquerading as a 'translation.' " https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/opinion...
(Checkmarks are just my way of keeping track of the sections I have read)
Releasing the Spirit of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky ✔
Poetic Conventions ✔
Are You with the Friend Now ✔
A Divine Invitation - 3 Stars
You Don't Have to Act Crazy Anymore -3.5 Stars
You Should Talk about This Problem - 3.5 Stars
And Applaud - 3 Stars
Manic Screaming - 4 Stars
My Brilliant Image - 3.5 Stars
Cast All Your Votes For Dancing - 4 Stars
Come to My House ✔
What Happens - 3 Stars
Someone Who Can Kiss God -3 Stars
Would You Think It Odd? - 3.5 Stars
Someone Calls Your Name - 2 Stars
The Jeweler - 2 Stars
Saints Bowing in the Mountains - 2 Stars
Exquisitely Woven - 3 Stars
The Moon Is Also Busy - 3.5 Stars
We All Sit in God's Classroom ✔
For a While - 1 Star
Why Carry? - 1 Star
Someone Should Start Laughing - 3 Stars
A Golden Compass - 2 Stars
Zero - 3.5 Stars
Circles - 3.5 Stars
The Great Secret - 3 Stars
Wayfarer - 1 Star
Of Course Things Like That Can Happen - 1 Star
The Only One - 3 Stars
Every Movement - 3.5 Stars
Saheb-e-Zaman - 3.5 Stars
Set This Dry Boring Place on Fire! ✔
How Does It Feel To Be a Heart? - 4 Stars
If It Is Not Too Dark - 4 Stars
Awake Awhile - 3 Stars
Dance, Dervish Dance - 4 Stars
You Better Start Kissing Me - 5 Stars
A Barroom View of Love - 4 Stars
I Know the Way You Can Get - 3.5 Stars
Spill the Oil Lamp! - 4 Stars
I Am Determined - 5 Stars
Let Me Near You Tonight ✔
That's the Whole Idea - 2 Stars
Keeping Watch - 3.5 Stars
You Left a Thousand Women Crazy - 4 Stars
Something Invisible - 3 Stars
A Tethered Falcon - 3.5 Stars
That Full, Fragrant Curl - 3 Stars
Maybe I Could Become a Poet ✔
I Took It as a Sign - 3.5 Stars
Beautiful Empty Pages - 3 Stars
Pulling Out the Chair - 2.5 Stars
The Only Sin I Know - 2 Stars
There Is a Wonderful Game - 2.5 Stars
I Am So Glad - 3 Stars
Your Beautiful Parched, Holy Mouth - 4 Stars
I Will Hire You a Minstrel - 3 Stars
God's Laughter ✔
Several Times in the Last Week - 2.5 Stars
Laughter - 3 Stars
Tripping Over Joy - 2.5 Stars
Strange Miracle - 3 Stars
Silence - 3.5 Stars
My Sweet, Crushed Angel - 3 Stars
Skinning Your Knees on God - 3.5 Stars
It Cuts the Plow Reins - 3.5 Stars
A Wild, Holy Band - 4 Stars
Forever Dance - 3 Stars
The Life and Work of Hafiz by Henry S. Mindlin - 4 Stars
"Poetry is a national art in Persia, somewhat like opera in Italy. Even in modern Iran, people at every social level know the great poets, argue passionately about their favorites, and quote them constantly everyday in conversation." Excerpt from Henry S. Mindlin’s Introduction from A Year with Hafiz: Daily Contemplations by Daniel Ladinsky (p. xx).
"In introductions to his books, Ladinsky notes that he offers interpretations and renderings of the poets, rather than literal or scholarly translations. His work is based on conveying and being 'faithful to the living spirit' of Hafiz, Rumi, and other mystic poets. . . . But Hafez scholars have argued that his writings have no connection to the great Persian poets. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_...
"A great scholar of Persian and Urdu literature, Christopher Shackle, describes Ladinsky’s output as 'not so much a paraphrase as a parody of the wondrously wrought style of the greatest master of Persian art-poetry.' Another critic, Murat Nemet-Nejat, described Ladinsky’s poems as what they are: original poems of Ladinsky masquerading as a 'translation.' " https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/opinion...
(Checkmarks are just my way of keeping track of the sections I have read)
Releasing the Spirit of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky ✔
Poetic Conventions ✔
Are You with the Friend Now ✔
A Divine Invitation - 3 Stars
You Don't Have to Act Crazy Anymore -3.5 Stars
You Should Talk about This Problem - 3.5 Stars
And Applaud - 3 Stars
Manic Screaming - 4 Stars
My Brilliant Image - 3.5 Stars
Cast All Your Votes For Dancing - 4 Stars
Come to My House ✔
What Happens - 3 Stars
Someone Who Can Kiss God -3 Stars
Would You Think It Odd? - 3.5 Stars
Someone Calls Your Name - 2 Stars
The Jeweler - 2 Stars
Saints Bowing in the Mountains - 2 Stars
Exquisitely Woven - 3 Stars
The Moon Is Also Busy - 3.5 Stars
We All Sit in God's Classroom ✔
For a While - 1 Star
Why Carry? - 1 Star
Someone Should Start Laughing - 3 Stars
A Golden Compass - 2 Stars
Zero - 3.5 Stars
Circles - 3.5 Stars
The Great Secret - 3 Stars
Wayfarer - 1 Star
Of Course Things Like That Can Happen - 1 Star
The Only One - 3 Stars
Every Movement - 3.5 Stars
Saheb-e-Zaman - 3.5 Stars
Set This Dry Boring Place on Fire! ✔
How Does It Feel To Be a Heart? - 4 Stars
If It Is Not Too Dark - 4 Stars
Awake Awhile - 3 Stars
Dance, Dervish Dance - 4 Stars
You Better Start Kissing Me - 5 Stars
A Barroom View of Love - 4 Stars
I Know the Way You Can Get - 3.5 Stars
Spill the Oil Lamp! - 4 Stars
I Am Determined - 5 Stars
Let Me Near You Tonight ✔
That's the Whole Idea - 2 Stars
Keeping Watch - 3.5 Stars
You Left a Thousand Women Crazy - 4 Stars
Something Invisible - 3 Stars
A Tethered Falcon - 3.5 Stars
That Full, Fragrant Curl - 3 Stars
Maybe I Could Become a Poet ✔
I Took It as a Sign - 3.5 Stars
Beautiful Empty Pages - 3 Stars
Pulling Out the Chair - 2.5 Stars
The Only Sin I Know - 2 Stars
There Is a Wonderful Game - 2.5 Stars
I Am So Glad - 3 Stars
Your Beautiful Parched, Holy Mouth - 4 Stars
I Will Hire You a Minstrel - 3 Stars
God's Laughter ✔
Several Times in the Last Week - 2.5 Stars
Laughter - 3 Stars
Tripping Over Joy - 2.5 Stars
Strange Miracle - 3 Stars
Silence - 3.5 Stars
My Sweet, Crushed Angel - 3 Stars
Skinning Your Knees on God - 3.5 Stars
It Cuts the Plow Reins - 3.5 Stars
A Wild, Holy Band - 4 Stars
Forever Dance - 3 Stars
The Life and Work of Hafiz by Henry S. Mindlin - 4 Stars
May 30, 2024
my god i finished this in tears. this writing is so divine and at peace and it soothes my soul and grounds me in time. this touched me as a book i will hold onto and it's antiquity entices me to it more. there is something so special about a book that affirms your meaning and being. i could only wish to hear how beautiful this sounds in persian <3 i am so happy and grateful to have found this.
"I am happy even before I have a reason. I am full of light even before the sky can greet the sun or the moon. Dear companions, we have been in love with God for so very, very long. What can Hafiz now do but dance!"
"I am happy even before I have a reason. I am full of light even before the sky can greet the sun or the moon. Dear companions, we have been in love with God for so very, very long. What can Hafiz now do but dance!"
November 24, 2025
Maybe this is just over my head. There are some lovely poems in here. Against my usual method (any book under 3 stars gets pulled from my shelf), I'm going to hold onto this one as I suspect Im missing something here.
June 9, 2024
Can’t wait to revisit this gorgeous poetry collection.
“I am happy even before I have a reason. I am full of light even before the sky can greet the sun or the moon.”
“I am happy even before I have a reason. I am full of light even before the sky can greet the sun or the moon.”
June 15, 2025
Lovely, rather short collections of poems that made me feel uplifted and hopeful. I also didn't expect someone from the 1300's to be so funny, but here we are!
January 6, 2008
As much as I appreciate poetry, few poets have moved me as much as Hafiz, a 14th century Sufi master who is beloved by Iranians (and others) to this day. Ladinsky did a fabulous job of translating this work, which was no small task. The Persian language apparently (I do not speak Farsi, but a friend of mine does)is full of words that have shades of different meanings. There are whole poems by Hafiz in which each word could mean something different. Hafiz' poems are ghazals, poetry that has a particular form and is often set to music.
April 26, 2016
Such absolute joy in these poems. I've appreciated the Sufi focus on love, but had not yet appreciated the joy which is so central to these poems. Impossible to read without feeling good afterwards.
September 18, 2020
Definitely a mood. Would be interested in reading it in it's original language!
December 22, 2020
"A poet is someone / Who can pour / Light into a spoon, / Then raise it / To nourish / Your beautiful parched, holy mouth."
February 9, 2018
I very much agree with him that some translation did not transfer the spirit of Hafiz poems and I think he took a very good step in addressing this issue in his translation.
May 6, 2020
Absolutely gorgeous. Hafiz expressing how the mundane & magical both exhibit God’s light & the concept of “Perfect Love” in the Sufi tradition made for a delightful read.
January 29, 2022
Los temas que trata el autor no son temas sobre los cuales suelo leer. Sin embargo he disfrutado de la poesía del autor.
February 21, 2018
Beautiful!! I loved these poems so much that I had to buy my own copy!
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June 1, 2021RTC
December 28, 2021
I have to thank a dear friend who sent me this book of poetry that I would never have read or found on my own. I enjoyed reading it so very much.
November 30, 2022
I'm so glad my dear brother-by-choice recommended this to me. I did not appreciate Hafez in my youth, but this go around I savored the words. I'm not religious, but I am more spiritual than even I am comfortable admitting at times. The emotion spoke to me during this period of loss and grief in my life. The words are rich, but there is no heaviness to the verse. Splendid reading.
Thank you, https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1... ❤️️
Thank you, https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1... ❤️️
November 9, 2019
Brilliant, gripping, intoxicating and spell-bounding; Hafez truly was a master of words and a master of love.
After spending some time with this exquisite collection of poems by Hafez, you will feel loved by the Friend who believes in us even more than we believe in ourselves.
“Hey Beloved, My heart is a raging volcano of love for you!” ❤️
After spending some time with this exquisite collection of poems by Hafez, you will feel loved by the Friend who believes in us even more than we believe in ourselves.
“Hey Beloved, My heart is a raging volcano of love for you!” ❤️
December 27, 2016
I don't really know how to review this considering it's probably the first book of poetry I've ever read without scholastic coercion. Hafez is a joy to read because Hafez is so joyous. If you're ever feeling down and could use a pick me up, you won't go wrong with Hafez.
I'm (morbidly?) curious with translated works whether I'm getting the "real deal." Suppose that's just the skeptic in me. I did enjoy this translation but now I want to go find a more literal translation so I can compare them. In that regard I guess one could say I enjoyed the poetry enough to want to do further research. Ha. That's gotta count for something!
I have a couple other Hafez books that my wife got me for our anniversary so I'm sure to get more familiar with him over time. Once I finish those it will be interesting to revisit this book and see if my opinion has changed.
I'm (morbidly?) curious with translated works whether I'm getting the "real deal." Suppose that's just the skeptic in me. I did enjoy this translation but now I want to go find a more literal translation so I can compare them. In that regard I guess one could say I enjoyed the poetry enough to want to do further research. Ha. That's gotta count for something!
I have a couple other Hafez books that my wife got me for our anniversary so I'm sure to get more familiar with him over time. Once I finish those it will be interesting to revisit this book and see if my opinion has changed.
September 3, 2015
Hafiz's poems delight, entrance, take you on a journey through places and feelings that are familiar, in the most beautiful light. He brings divinity to your encounter with "everyday" experiences, and all forms of life. A leaf is more than a leaf, a dog's bark is more than a dog's bark, the sunlight is more than sunlight. They are the sights and sounds of God, of the highest form and most beautiful form of love.
Hafiz's tone is playful, warm, special ... Unlike anything I've read.
He is my favorite poet of all time. Give him a chance if you are even the slightest bit interested.
Hafiz's tone is playful, warm, special ... Unlike anything I've read.
He is my favorite poet of all time. Give him a chance if you are even the slightest bit interested.
January 18, 2016
Reading this terrible translation of Hafiz left me feeling like "A BROKEN MAN BEHIND A FARTING CAMEL" - page 6
It would be extremely hard to translate Hafiz into something that sounds ridiculous, but that is the only thing this author succeeded in doing! this garbage has NO Sufi feeling at all and NO respect to Hafiz original words. This "Book" doesn't even qualify to the title: "Hafez for Dummies"
TO AVOID the BUTCHERING of Hafiz magic, please do your existence a favor and read the translation of Coleman Barks or Wiliam C. Chittick. Cheerios
It would be extremely hard to translate Hafiz into something that sounds ridiculous, but that is the only thing this author succeeded in doing! this garbage has NO Sufi feeling at all and NO respect to Hafiz original words. This "Book" doesn't even qualify to the title: "Hafez for Dummies"
TO AVOID the BUTCHERING of Hafiz magic, please do your existence a favor and read the translation of Coleman Barks or Wiliam C. Chittick. Cheerios
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