Paul Smith

Divine Nostalgia Paul Smith

DIVINE NOSTALGIA: SUFI BLUES. Ghazals (Songs) by Sana'i, Mu'in, 'Attar, Rumi, Sadi, Amir Khusrau, Hafiz, Jami, Makhfi. The Sufi Poets believed that the first poem was by Adam on the death of Abel, in the form of the ghazal. This form creates a deep nostalgia and tension between the lover and the Divine Beloved and all great Persian Sufi poets used it to express their deepest feelings... from its first Master Sana'i, the perfect words of Mu'in ud-din Chishti to 'Attar where it took on a new life, then Rumi's vast output dedicated to Shams; Sadi... whose ghazals are still revered in Iran, Amir Khusrau... the Indian innovator of the erotic-spiritual ghazal; Hafiz... considered the greatest poet of this form; Jami, who continued the tradition and finally the incarcerated Mughal Sufi Princess 'Makhfi', one of the last great poets of the Sufi ghazal. Correct rhyme-structure and meaning are attained. Chapters: Sufi Poetry, the Ghazal, a Glossary. Large Print (14pt), Large Forma (7" x 10") 828 pages. 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, 'Iraqi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Lalla Ded, Seemab, Jigar and many others and his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and a dozen screenplays. Published by New Humanity Books. amazon.com/author/smithpa