Publisher's Synopsis
THE THREE GREATEST FEMALE SUFI PERSIAN POETS Mahsati, Jahan & Makhfi. Translation & Introduction Paul Smith. MAHSATI (1098-1185) lived in Ganjeh when Sultan Sanjar reigned. She was a court, dervish (Sufi) and ribald poet. She knew Nizami (she is said to have been buried in his mausoleum) and Omar Khayyam... and like Omar 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 famous and also infamous for her truly liberated behaviour. She was an influence on perhaps Iran's greatest female poet JAHAN Khatun. She was the daughter of the king of one of Shiraz's most turbulent times (14th century) Masud Shah; pupil and lifelong friend of the world's greatest mystical, lyric poet, Hafiz of Shiraz; imprisoned for twenty years while her daughter mysteriously died; open-minded and scandalous... the beautiful, petite princess who abdicated her royalty twice; one of Iran's greatest mystical lyric poets...whose Divan is four times the size of Hafiz's. MAKHFI (1638-1702) pen-name meaning 'concealed', was Zeb-un-Nissa the beautiful and talented oldest daughter of the strict Muslim Emperor of India, Aurangzeb. She was imprisoned for 20 years for her Sufi views and conspiring with a brother against him. Her over 550 ghazals and ruba'is in Persian are deep, spiritual and at times truly heartbreaking. Complete biographies on all poets. Selected Bibliographies. Correct forms and meaning are preserved in all poems. Large Print (16pt) & Large Format (8" x 10") Paperback 597 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 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 12 screenplays.
