Synopsis "The Sufi Quatrains of Farid al-din 'Attar"
The Sufi Quatrains of Farid al-din 'Attar Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Farid al-din 'Attar (d. 1221) is the Perfect Master Poet who was the author of over forty books of poetry and prose including The Conference of the Birds, The Book of God (which he is said to have presented to Rumi when he met him) and The Lives of the Saints. Apart from his many books in masnavi form he also composed many hundreds of mystical ghazals and ruba'is (quatrains). He also changed the evolution of the ruba'i form by composing a long Sufi epic, the Mukhtar-nama, where each of 2088 ruba'is is connected by subject matter that Fitzgerald attempted to do with those he attributed to Omar Khayyam, but most were by others. Included in Introduction is the life of 'Attar and a history of the ruba'i and examples by its greatest exponents. Here is a selection of 135 of his Sufi ruba'is. Introduction on The Life, Times & Works of 'Attar, The Form, Function & History of the Ruba'i. Selected Bibliography. The rhyme-structure has been kept as well as the beauty and meaning of these immortal four-line poems. Large Format Paperback (7" x 10") 200 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."I was very impressed with the beauty of these books." Dr. R.K. Barz. Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University. "Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz." Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author of poems inspired by Hafiz). 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, Ghalib, Iqbal, Seemab, Jigar, Huma, Lalla Ded, Ibn al-Farid, Shawqi, and many others, as well as poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and a dozen screenplays. Published by New Humanity Books amazon.com/author/smithpa
