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Summary: Hafiz, a great poet
Review: A few years ago a news reporter ran an interesting demo on the working of human mind using an elephant and an "Art scholar". The painting created by elephant was framed and put in a gallery and then the Art specialist was asked to give his opinion about the work of art. The scholar went on giving his elaborate and highly abstract and sophisticated interpretation of the art work. The reporter later informed him who the real artist was and if he really thought that the elephant had all those abstract principles when he was splashing the paint. I guess the moral of the story is that when one deals with "art" one has to be very careful not to read into the art work his own particular background or culture. I have seen people who read Hafiz and understand his poems in a manner which resembles very much the "elephant" demo. True that every one can read Hafiz and find something in it that would seem to relate to his/her life but one has to distinguish between seeing Hafiz in his poems and seeing their own image in the mirror of his poetry. I guess we have to be careful not to attribute to Hafiz what he was not or take from him something that he was. It is also said that Hafiz is a universal man, this claim is not, however, made by Hafiz himself. Hafiz and his thoughts are as much a "universal" as was the painting of the elephant. Only the elephant's art work can truly be universal because the elephant had nothing in mind when he created it, and precisely because of this " nothingness" the work can be considered universal. I am not sure if Hafiz had evolved enough to have reached the ranking of an elephant. To "accurately" understand Hafiz one has to understand the spiritual universe which he was part of and the path that he took, a path that he says he followed faithfully and painfully for forty years before the "unveiling" took place and he saw the fire in the remote mountain emanating from the burning bush. If one wishes to understand Hafiz, as Hafiz sees himslef, either one has to become his true companion in this path, or at least be as much knowledgable as possible about that spiritual universe which gave birth to him, anything else would be wishful thinking and self flattery.
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Summary: I Heard me Smiling
Review: After reading the available pages, I ordered the book.
Working with bodymind and bodywork, it tells you how to live and enjoy life.
God does have a sense of humor. We just have to listen.
Rating: 
Summary: "Good poetry makes the Universe admit a secret..." Hafiz
Review: For centuries Hafiz has been called, "The Tongue of the Invisible." Through his works he continues to sing beautiful and wild love songs to this world from God.
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Summary: A Tale of Awakening
Review: Hafiz gives us all the opportunity to travel at his side as he moves through the experience of awakening. He shares his seeing and getting lost with equal candor, his moving forward and running away all with the humor and compassion that his final awakening has let him come to know. He is like the sweet old grandfather whose lap we want to curl up in, making room for us, and telling us that if he could do it, we can too.
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Summary: Fresh new renderings of Persia's greatest poet, Hafiz.
Review: Hafiz' poetry is known for its focus on the experience of love. In fact, the body of his work forms an encyclopedic description of love's states and stages. Because of this, it is tremendously popular in the East. Hafiz couplets are quoted more often than is Shakespeare in the West. Laborer, prelate, scholar, housewife, merchant and artist alike are ready to spice their conversation with sayings of Hafiz.Hafiz has now become accessible to readers of English through the efforts of American translator Daniel Ladinsky. Ladinsky's renderings of the medieval Persian poet are characterized by qualities we do not often associate with mystical poetry: wit, irreverence, and mischief. His approach turns 180 degrees away from previous translations, notably those of nineteenth century English scholars. Almost all the classical Persian imagery has been updated. Hardly a nightingale or a cypress tree is to be found. Instead of quaint Oriental cliches, we are treated to imagery wit! h a distinctly colloquial tone. A mystic's ecstasy as sung by the Beatles, perhaps. Daniel Ladinsky has given classical Persian poetry a fresh look, as he shows in this poem: We have all come to the right place. We all sit in God's classroom. Now, The only thing left for us to do, my dear, Is to stop Throwing spitballs for a while. Daniel Ladinsky has chosen to focus on Hafiz' poetic strategies, rather than a literal interpretation. Chief among the strategies Ladinsky has reproduced is the shock of invention to blow away the constraints of the rational mind. In this poem, translated with the title, "Of Course Things Like That Can Happen," the effect is fresh and contemporary. Here is an excerpt: Once God made love to a great saint Who had a hairy belly. Of course things like that can happen! And it was a surprise Only to the novice on the path When the saint's stomach began to swell Just like a woman's ... Of course things like that can ! happen. For another example of Hafiz' tactic of surprise,! look at this passage, also captured with stunning freshness: The sun rolls through the sky meadows every day, And a billion cells run To the top of a leaf to scream and applaud And smash things in their joy. Wherever Ladinsky does retain Hafiz' original symbolism, he gives it a spin without losing the mystical meaning, as in this poem: Bring your cup near me, For I am a Sweet Old Vagabond With an Infinite Leaking Barrel Of Light and Laughter and Truth That the Beloved has tied to my back. Dan Ladinsky has done a great favor to all who, after Coleman Barks' work on Rumi, wish to read more Middle Eastern poetry. Along with Robert Bly's "Kabir Book," and the American audience Barks created for Rumi, we now have accessible and appealing versions of Persia's literary giant Hafiz. We can only hope to see more of this grand and ancient poetic tradition.
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Summary: I have a celebrity crush on Hafiz!
Review: Hafiz's poems are deeply passionate and always inspirational. I teach massage therapy in Austin and we have elevated him to honorary faculty because he is the most quoted author by all the instructors at any school function where one of us may be required to say a few words. I can never make it through this book without weeping tears of joy. Hafiz is a master of the Art of Joy. Through his loving instruction, you can see the loveliness of even the darkest night of your soul. With a voice steady enough to whisper to us over 800 years, the light of his spirit is a beacon to seekers everywhere. He's dreamy!
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Summary: I have a celebrity crush on Hafiz!
Review: Hafiz's poems are deeply passionate and always inspirational. I teach massage therapy in Austin and we have elevated him to honorary faculty because he is the most quoted author by all the instructors at any school function where one of us may be required to say a few words. I can never make it through this book without weeping tears of joy. Hafiz is a master of the Art of Joy. Through his loving instruction, you can see the loveliness of even the darkest night of your soul. With a voice steady enough to whisper to us over 800 years, the light of his spirit is a beacon to seekers everywhere. He's dreamy!
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Summary: Understanding Hafiz
Review: Having read the very critical review by "Ali" who seems to fail to comprehend the difficulty in translating Hafiz into English I would like to defend the "Renderings". I have read just about every English translation of anything that Hafiz wrote beginning with Clark and ending with Bly. There is no way to translate without loosing something and unfortunately the beauty, the melody, and the rythym of the original farsi is lost in all the translations by the virtue of the language differences. "I heard God Laughing: Renderings of Hafiz" is well named and titled. There is a spirit behind the poetry that is captured in these renderings that I am sure Hafiz himself would approve of. It is that beauty that I am sure he wanted to in some small way capture for future generations as he shared his devout love affair with the "beloved rose" of his life. The renderings will help any sincere aspirant on the road to the "tavern" of "divine wine drinkers". Those of us who have tasted the wine can truly find the scent of it in the renderings. The renderings inspire the dance of the soul!
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Summary: This is the finest book I own
Review: I can't give this book away fast enough--it holds some of the finest treasures this earth has. For me, it is all about why I was born--to love and to know God. Hafiz seems like a very old and wise friend, sharing in his exqusite writing, the secrets of knowing God. Every time I re-read a poem I see it in a different light; there is more than before. Sometimes each word is so perfectly chosen that I can ponder the meaning of it and be completely satisfied. Each time I open the book I am more delighted than the last time. It is the supreme gift.
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Summary: New Title: "Hafez for Dummies"
Review: I do not mean to imply that the readers who enjoy Ladinsky's versions of "Hafez" lack intelligence. However, I think these so-called renderings of Hafez can easily be compared to the "_____ for Dummies" types of books on the market. Ladinsky is not a bad poet, but to attribute this poetry to Hafez really does a great disservice to the original--as well as to the readers who will never understand how simplistic Ladinsky's renditions are in comparison to the genius of the real Hafez. I am an American who has studied Persian culture for the past twenty years. I have also studied the language (Farsi) off and on for 15 years. I have been to Iran, and have experienced the incredible beauty of recitations of Hafez' poetry, and have been moved to tears. I have visited Hafez' tomb in Shiraz, where I bought my first copy of the Divan-e Hafez in Farsi, with some of the qhazals translated to English. Since my return, I have been painstakingly (and lovingly) reading Hafez' poetry, looking up the words I don't understand, asking friends questions about the multiple meanings and interpretations of his poems, falling asleep with the book beside me and awakening with its impression upon my skin. Hafez is extremely complex, and truly impossible to translate adequately. It causes me great pain to see someone with virtually no knowledge of the original, write a few verses based on someone else's translations, change the structure and words into something completely unrecognizable as Hafez, call it a "translation," and make a profit in the process. Ladinsky would be much more honest if he published the book with himself as the author, who has been inspired by Hafez. I agree with the earlier reviewer, Ali, who is saddened by the fact that so few in the West will ever begin to understand Hafez. Indeed, all of the reviewers of Ladinsky's work that have been critical have had a working knowledge of Farsi and exposure to Hafez in the original. The only positive reviews have been by those who cannot begin to comprehend what they're missing. I would suggest that Ladinsky either put in the time and effort and learn Farsi well enough to truly grasp and convey Hafez' work, or label his work something other than a "translation." The road to truth and knowledge can be a long, arduous, but rewarding journey.
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