Khashayar Bahar

The Drunken Hā fez: Anthology of Ghazals from the Dī vā n of Hā fez - Volume I Khashayar Bahar

The Drunken H?féz is a compilation of Fifty Ghazals, carefully selected from the celebrated D?v?n 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. Sufi masters such as Hallaj, Ibn Arabi, Sohrevardi, Ferdowsi, Khayyam and Rumi are studied in detail to better understand the deeper inlaid meanings within the texture of the Hafez Ghazals, along with biographical and sociological references, contemporary to the Shirazi Master of Ghazals; bringing it all into a current perspective, translated into a Shakespearean medium, reflective of the original Persian Sufi language of chivalry, honor and all-inclusive love. Each Ghazal is accompanied by footnotes, that further explain the very words used by H?féz in the original Farsi. The twenty eight illustrations are original paintings by Jena Ellen Greentree, reflective of Sufi motifs and H?féz themes such as "the Chalice", "the Ghetto", "the Feast", "the Ceremony", "Foresight", "Magi Boy", "Rain dancers" and so forth. Amongst the many H?féz translations available in the west, "The Drunken H?féz" aspires to provide the reader with an honest, untainted, transparent and eloquent translation of the original Persian Ghazals. And as H?féz was one of the first controversial and free-loving Persian poets of the Islamic Era, these translations seek not to hide his human side as often is the case with most other translations and editions; and are easy to understand and self-evident, without any personal inferences by the translator. As H?féz loves everyone and is meant to be read by and for everyone, these translations offer the readers the real and untampered character of the original author of the Ghazals, his genuine persona, often hidden beneath the thick crust of Sufi dialectics and sophistry; either often seen through the decadent lens of the Mughals, or the orthodox view of Islamic scholars. The Drunken H?féz seeks to introduce the all-loving and all too human H?féz to the free-loving world; an easy Vessel to set sail on the enchanting waters of Persian Poetry, and a relishing Chalice of Celestial Wine. Salut! (Old Persian: Sh?d-Z?)