The Book of Baba Farid

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THE BOOK OF BABA FARID

Translation & Introduction Paul Smith

The father of Punjabi poetry Baba Farid was born in the Punjab. Khwaja Bakhtiar Kaki was Baba Farid’s Spiritual Master. Kaki met Mu’in ud-din Chishti at Baghdad and became his disciple. The king at Delhi, Balban, welcomed Farid in Delhi. His daughter married Farid. Baba Farid, the Sufi Master poet laureate from Punjab is famous for his wise and spiritual couplets … 112 of them are in the bible of the Sikhs the Guru Granth, and 128 are translated here with the correct rhyme-structure and meaning. Hospitals and factories and even a town named after him. Introduction on The Life, Times and Poetry of Baba Farid, Sufis & Dervishes: Their Art & Use of Poetry.

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. If he comes to Iran I will kiss the fingertips that wrote such a masterpiece inspired by the Creator of all and I will lay down my head at his feet out of respect.” Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi Tehran.
“Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith.” Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator of many mystical works in English 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 .
“I was very impressed with the beauty of these books.” Dr. R.K. Barz. Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University.

Paul Smith 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, Mahsati and many others, as well as his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children’s books and 12 screenplays.
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