Publisher's Synopsis
DIVAN OF OMAR KHAYYAM Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Omar Khayyam (died 1132) was one of the early masters of the Persian poetic form of the ruba'i... so much so that many in collections of these profound, philosophic, mystical, sometimes controversial poems were often attributed to him, although many were by other great Persian poets such as 'Attar, Sadi, Rumi and Hafiz. More famous in his homeland as an astronomer, mathematician and philosopher... the sometimes nihilistic and hedonistic and often Sufi philosophy in his ruba'is meant that his poems were never really popular in his homeland until recently, after the interpretations of Edward FitzGerald and the west fell in love with him. Introduction: The Life and Times of Omar Khayyam and his work as a Scientist & Philosopher and a history of the ruba'i and examples by its greatest exponents and a chapter on the various translations into English and other languages. Selected bibliography. The correct rhyme-structure is here, the beauty and meaning of these fatalistic, intoxicated, loving, sometimes mystical and often satirical 186 four-line poems. Large format paperback 7" x 10" Illustrated 283 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." Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran."Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator of many works 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 (b. 1945) is a poet, author and translator of many 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, Lalla Ded, Rahman Baba, Bulleh Shah, Ghalib, Iqbal, Seemab, and many others, as well as poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and 12 screenplays. amazon.com/author/smithpa
