Year with Hafiz

Though Hafiz lived in the fourteenth century, his poems are still immensely popular. His wisdom, his expressive language and his deep reverence for beauty have made him a favourite poet of lovers, and especially of lovers of God. Her Daniel Ladinsky explores with learned insight and a delicate hand Hafiz's exquisite verses. He presents 365 poignant poems-including a section based on the translations of Hafiz by Ralph Waldo Emerson-that capture a spirit of infinite tenderness and compassion, of great exuberance, joy and laughter, of ecstatic love and fervent longing, and of wonder and delight at the divine splendour of the universe. As Ladinsky says of his renderings, 'The wings of some of these poems just could not resist unfurling, breaking out of conventional space and cultural-bound time, hoping to lift many in the wake of their freedom.' 'You could call Hafiz the fourteenth century Persian version of Walt Whitman. An incandescent, ecstatic pipeline to God.' - Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, in naming Daniel Ladinsky's The Gift one of her ten favourite books 'There are universe inside Hafiz, a lineage of masters. Daniel Ladinsky follows the playfulness; the rascal moves well.' - Coleman Barks 'Ladinsky is a master who will be remembered for finally bringing Hafiz alive in the West.' - Alexandra Marks, The Christian Science Monitor