Publisher's Synopsis
KHUSHAL KHAN KHATTAK THE GREAT WARRIOR/POET OF AFGHANISTAN SELECTED POEMS Translation & Introduction by Paul Smith Khushal Khan Khattak (1613-1689) was a Pashtun poet, warrior, and chief of the Khattak tribe. He wrote in Pashtu during the reign of the Mughals and fought the fanatic Aurangzeb and admonished Afghans to forsake their divisive tendencies and unite. He was the father of fifty-seven sons, some of them fine poets and thirty daughters. He is the author of over 200 works in Pashtu and Persian, consisting of Poetry, Medicine, Ethics, Religious Jurisprudence, Philosophy, Falconry, etc., together with an account of the events of his own life. His poetry is said to consist of more than 45,000 poems! There is no other poet in the Afghan language who created so many poems on such a wide range of subjects. He wrote ghazals, ruba'is, qasidas, qi'tas and masnavis. Introduction on his life, times & poetry. Correct rhyme-structure has been kept and the meaning of these beautiful, powerful, and occasionally spiritual poems. Pages 187COMMENTS 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 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 80 books of Sufi poets from the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Obeyd Zakani, Mu'in, Amir Khusrau, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yand others, and his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies and a dozen screenplays. Published by New Humanity Books amazon.com/author/smithpa
