THE 'MANTLE' POETS Translation & Introduction by Paul Smith Ka'b ibn Zuhair (died 7th century A.D.) was a famous poet who at first opposed Prophet Muhammad. Finally, he secretly went to Medina and approached the Prophet to ask if one who repented and embraced the faith would be forgiven. Mohammed answered yes and the poet asked, "Even Ka'b ibn Zuhair?" When he affirmed this, Ka'b revealed his identity and read a poem, his Banat Suad (of 55 couplets), which would become his most famous poem. As a reward Prophet Mohammed took off his mantle (cloak) and put it on Ka'b's shoulders. The second was...

JIGAR & SEEMAB Meher Baba's Favourite Urdu Poets Selected Poems Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Meher Baba, took Huma (Phoenix) as a pen-name when he composed ghazals in his twenties and later on. He knew the ghazals of Hafiz by heart. He went on to reveal himself as Qutub (Perfect Master) and later as the Rasool or Messiah (Avatar). Of the Urdu Poets, Jigar and Seemab in particular were his favourites and he had a connection with them. Jigar was admired and read by many. He had a large following among the ordinary people. His fame transcended religious and language barriers. He was a...

ISLAMIC MYSTICISM IN ARABIC POETRY An Anthology Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Introduction includes... Islamic Mysticism: Art and Use of Poetry & The Main Forms in Arabic Poetry. Included with each selection of a particular poet is a brief biography plus a list of further reading. The correct rhyme-structure has been kept as well as the power and meaning of these beautiful, mystical poems. THE POETS... Hazrat Ali 27, Ali Ibn Husain 34, Majnun (Qays ibn al-Mulawwah ibn Muzahim) 36, Rabi'a of Basra 67, Abu Nuwas 87, Dhu'l-Nun 97, Bayazid Bistami 111, Al Nuri 115, Junaid 125, Sumnun 130,...

DARD: LIFE & POEMS Translation & Introduction by Paul Smith Khwaja Mir Dard (1720-1784) is considered one of the three great poets of the Delhi school of classical Urdu poetry. He is firstly a Sufi poet who saw the physical world as a veil of the Divine Reality and this world a pathway. As a Sufi he was respected equally by royalty, nobility and the poor. It was his father Khwaja Mohd Nasir Andlib, a Sufi saint and poet, who was the greatest influence on him. Dard was a great lover of mystical music both vocal and instrumental and he held soirees of music and mastered the art to perfection....

HAFIZ POEMS OTHER THAN GHAZALS Masnavis, Qasidas, Mukammas, Tarji-band, Tarikh-band, Bino Rhymes, Ruba'is, Qit'as. Translation & Introduction Paul Smith The beauty of this verse is beyond an explanation; to splendour of the sun does a person need a guide? Blessings be on brush of the painter who gave such wonderful beauty as this to meaning's virgin bride. Regarding its beauty, reason can't find comparison; regarding its grace, comparison nature can't provide. This verse is either a miracle or it is of true magic... these words, Gabriel... or Invisible Voice did guide. No one can utter a...

VYASA: LIFE & POEMS Translation & Introduction by Paul Smith The life of the author Vyasa (approximately 200 B.C.) is fascinating. He was the author of and a character in the second great poetic epic of India the Mahabharata. He is responsible for classifying the four Vedas, and wrote the eighteen Puranas. The Mahabharata is often called as the fifth Veda. The most important section is the Bhagavad Gita, the lesson recited to Arjuna by Krishna on the battlefield. He was born on an island on the holy river Yamuna. His father was Parashar Rishi, a sage, and his mother was Satyavati. He taught...

BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR SUFI POET & LAST MUGHAL EMPEROR & HIS CIRCLE OF POETS... Zauq, Ghalib, Momin, Shefta, Dagh SELECTED POEMS Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Bahadur Shah Zafar (1775-1862) was the last of the Mughal emperors in India, as well as the last ruler of the Timurid Dynasty. He presided over a Mughal empire that barely extended beyond Delhi's Red Fort. The British Raj was the dominant political and military power in 19th-century India. When the victory of the British became certain, Zafar took refuge at Humayun's Tomb, in an area that was then at the outskirts of Delhi, and hid...

RAHIM Sufi/Bhakti Poet & Khan-i-Khanan of Mughal Emperor Akbar & his Circle of Poets SELECTED POEMS Translation & Introduction Paul Smith 'Abd'ur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan (1556-1627) was a Sufi/Bhakti poet and scholar and linguist and great patron of the arts under Emperor Akbar and under Emperor Jahangir. He was the commander-in-chief of the army of Akbar against Sultan Muzaffar of Gujarat. Rahim was known for his strange manner of giving alms to the poor. He never looked at the person he was giving alms to, keeping his gaze downwards in all humility. He was famous for his poetry and generosity...

FAIZI Sufi Poet-Laureate of Mughal Emperor Akbar 'Greatest Indian Poet of Persian after Amir Khusrau' SELECTED POEMS Translation & Introduction by Paul Smith The work of Faizi (1547-1595), who held the honorary title Malek ol-shoara (king of poets), marks the beginning of the golden age of Indian literature in Persian. This Sufi poet-laureate of Akbar assisted him in his efforts at reform, which were aimed at reconciling Indians of different faiths. In his best known masnavi poem 'Nal and Daman' he reworks a story from the third book of the Mahabharata in accordance with the demands of the...