Synopsis "Divan of Mu'in ud-din Chishti: (Gharib Narwaz)"
DIVAN OF MU'IN UD-DIN CHISHTI (Gharib Narwaz) Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Mu'in ud-din Chishti (1141-1230) also known as Gharib Nawaz or 'Benefactor of the Poor', is the most famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order of the Indian Subcontinent. In his book Pre Mughal Persian in Hindustan, Muhammad 'Abdu'l Ghani states... "He was the greatest lyric poet of his age. His style is exuberant and precise at once. His poems are a storehouse of transcendental thoughts beautifully ordered and forcefully expressed. There is always a sense of pious serenity and joy in his verses that are teeming with Divine Love... his poetry resembles closely that of Hafiz... He takes his readers along with him solely to spiritual ecstasy and gives them a peep into the ethereal world..." Today, hundreds of thousands of Muslims, Hindus, Christians and others take grace from his tomb and poems. This is the largest selection of his ghazals translated into English in the correct form and meaning. Introduction includes: Life, Times & Poetry of Mu'in ud-din Chishti, The Chishti Order of Sufism, Sufis & Dervishes: Their Art & Use of Poetry, Main Forms of Poems Used by the Chishti Poets. Bibliography. Appendix: Selection of Poems by other Chishti Poets including Baba Farid, Nizam ud-din, Amir Khusrau, Hasan Dihlavi, Niyaz, Inayat Khan, Khadim. Large Format Paperback 7" x 10" 315 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.." 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 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, Seemab, Jigar, Abu Nuwas, Baba Farid, Ibn al-Farid, Ibn al-Arabi and many others, as well as poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and 12 screenplays.
