Publisher's Synopsis
DIVAN of MAHSATI Ruba'iyat of the Great Persian Female Poet Translation & Introduction Paul Smith. We know little of Mahsati Ganjavi's life (b.1089, d. after 1159) except that she lived in Ganjeh when Sultan Sanjar reigned and as she was a poet at his court she would have known Anvari. She was a court, dervish and ribald poet. She knew Nizami (she is said to have been buried in his mausoleum) and Omar Khayyam... and like Omar mainly composed only in the ruba'i form and must be considered not only a master of that form but also to have helped to revolutionize it. She was an influence on perhaps Iran's greatest female poet Jahan Khatun of Shiraz and Iran's greatest satirist Obeyd Zakani. She was famous and also infamous for her truly liberated behaviour. Included in the Introduction are the life of Mahsati and a history of the ruba'i and examples by its greatest exponents. Selected Bibliography. This is by far the largest collection of her poems translated into English (being 380 of 400 that survived). The correct rhyme-structure has been kept as well as the beauty and meaning of these immortal, courageous four-line poems. Large Print (18pt) & Large Format (8" x 10") Edition Pages 423. 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 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). 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 and many others, as well as his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and a dozen screenplays. Published by New Humanity Books. amazon.com/author/smithpa
