GHAZALS (Sufi Love Poems) of ALISHER NAVOI: A Selection

GHAZALS (Sufi Love Poems)of ALISHER NAVOI Translation & Introduction Paul Smith. Alisher Navoi (1441 – 1501) a truly universal man, was of Uyghur origin who was born and lived in Herat (now north-western Afghanistan) like Jami who he knew. He is generally known by his pen name Navoi (‘the weeper’). He was among the key writers who revolutionized the literary use of the Turkic languages. Navoi himself wrote primarily in the Chagatai language and produced 30 works over a period of 30 years, during which Chagatai became accepted as a prestigious and well-respected literary language. Navoi’s best-known poems are found in his four divans, or poetry 50,000 couplets. He is still greatly revered throughout the Middle East, Asia & Russia and there are many building etc. named after him. Many of his ghazals are represented in this translation in the correct forms for the first time. Introduction: Turkish & Sufi Poetry & Life & Times & Poetry of Navoi, On the Ghazal in Turkish Sufi Poetry, Selected Bibliography. 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 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, Mu’in, Amir Khusrau, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Omar Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Jigar, Mu’in and many others, and his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children’s books, a dozen screenplays. amazon.com/author/smithpa Read more