Synopsis "Abu Sa'id & Sarmad: A Sufi Daybook (in English)"
ABU SA'ID & SARMAD A Sufi Daybook Translation & Introduction by Paul Smith Abu Sa'id (968-1049) was a Perfect Master and a poet who lived in Nishapur and composed only ruba'is, over 400 of them. He was a founder of Sufi poetry and a major influence on the ruba'i and most poets that followed, especially Sana'i, Nizami, 'Attar, Rumi and Hafiz. Sarmad (d. 1659) was a famous and infamous Persian dervish poet of Jewish and Armenian origin. As a merchant he gathered his wares and travelled to India to sell them. In India he renounced Judaism and adopted Islam: he later renounced it in favour of Hinduism which he finally renounced for Sufism. He was known for exposing and ridiculing the major religions and hypocrisy of his day, but he also wrote beautiful mystical poetry in the form of rubai's. He was beheaded in 1659 by Emperor Aurangzeb for his perceived heretical poetry. This Sufi Daybook consists of 366 of their insightful, beautiful & spiritual ruba'is, 188 each. Introduction & Bibliography. 390 pages. 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." Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran. "Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator 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 (Penguin Books author). 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, Khayyam, Rudaki Lalla Ded, Baba Farid, Bulleh Shah and others, and his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and a dozen screenplays. New Humanity Books amazon.com/author/smithpa
