The Drunken Hafez: Anthology of Ghazals from the Divan of Hafez

Format: Kindle Edition & Paperback

Print Length: 169 pages

Language: English

ASIN: B088WXHXTZ

Genre:  Persian Poetry

SUMMARY: The Drunken Hāféz is a compilation of Fifty Ghazals, carefully selected from the celebrated Dīvān of Hãféz of Shiraz, translated word for word from the original Persian into English by Khashayar Bahar, along with an in-depth foreword thoroughly covering the major influences on the mind of the 14th century Shirazi poet.

The BookViral Review:

Reminding us there’s a huge following for Hāféz’s verse form Khashayar Bahar’s translation and Jena Ellen Greentree’s beautiful illustrations combine to deliver an evocative offering that resonates with Hāféz’s themes.

For translators Hāféz presents a combination of cruces and conundrums and approaches to translating Hāféz’s Ghazals vary from the highly literalist close-cut versions to less literal renderings. In Bahar’s introduction, he talks of his own introduction to Hāféz’s Ghazals. Stating, “It was like listening to Hāféz converse with himself in prose and metaphor; an introduction to the mysterious mind of a 14th Century poet of Shiraz, filled with clues for wanderers on the path of Self-Gnosis.” And it’s this level of intimacy that Bahar and Greentree have perfectly captured.

Aimed not just at the student of Hāféz’s Ghazals but also at those who, drawn to their beauty and mysticism, simply wish to delve deeper into their meaning and structure. With Bahar bringing together concepts, factual information, and careful interpretation.

Given that Persian metres are not readily transferred to English verse comprehensive notes contribute to the readers experience as Bahar clearly elucidates the nature of Hāféz’s Ghazals to allow their meanings, wordplays and references to be drawn out.

Beautifully presented The Drunken Hāféz: Anthology of Ghazals from the Dīvān of Hāféz is a credit to both Bahar and Greentree and is recommended without reservation.