DEGREES DEGREESRUBA'IYAT OF BEDIL DEGREES DEGREES Translation & Introduction by Paul Smith Mirza Abdul-Qader Bedil (1644-1721) is one of the most respected poets of the East. In the early 17th century, his family moved from Balkh in Afghanistan to India, to live under Mughal rule. He was born and educated near Patna. In later life he spent time travelling and visiting ancestral lands. His writings in Persian are extensive, being one of the creators of the 'Indian style'. He had complicated views on the nature of God, heavily influenced by the Sufis. Bedil's 16 books of poetry contain nearly...

>RUBA'IYAT OF BABA TAHIR

SADI: SELECTED POEMS Translation & Introduction by Paul Smith Sadi of Shiraz, along with Hafiz, Nizami & Rumi is considered one of the great mystical and romantic poets of Iran. His masterpieces, The Rose Garden and The Bustan (Orchard) have been a major influence in the East and West for the past 700 years. His Divan of ghazals are still much loved by Iranians. His ruba'is have also been an influence on the poets that followed him. Here is a large selection of his ghazals, ruba'is and masnavis. Introduction includes his Life and Times and Poetry. There is also a Selected Bibliography and...

Translation, Introduction & Notes by Paul Smith Kamal ad-din Isma'il (1172-1238) known as 'The Creator of Subtle Thoughts') was the son of the court poet Jamal ad-din and was one of the last of the great poets of the early days in Isfahan. Both father and son praised their city and the same patrons but Kamal ad-din considered himself not only a court poet but a Sufi or Dervish. His qasidas in the style of 'Iraqi were greatly admired and some were said to 'reach the summit of perfection' but it is his many much loved human and divine ruba'is that his fame now rests upon. Here is the largest...

>SEVEN HUNDRED SAYINGS

THE DHAMMAPADA The Gospel of the Buddha Revised Translation by Paul Smith from translation from the Pali of F. Max Muller From ancient times to now, the Dhammapada has been regarded as the most succinct expression of the Buddha's teaching and the chief spiritual testament of early Buddhism. In the countries following Buddhism, the influence of the Dhammapada is immeasurable. It is a guidebook for resolving problems of everyday life, and a primer for the instruction in the wisdom of understanding. The admiration the Dhammapada has elicited has not been confined to followers of Buddhism....

ADAM THE FIRST PERFECT MASTER AND POET Paul Smith In a series of nine nightly conversations between a Master and some close devotees this is a long-overdue exploration and discovery and appreciation of the real spiritual status of Adam, the first God-realized human being and the first poet. Using poetry and texts of the greatest Sufi and other mystical poets this first Perfect Master's life and role is revealed and praised. The poets and Spiritual Masters include Adam Himself, Hafiz, Ibn 'Arabi, Shahin of Shiraz, 'Iraqi, Jili, Mansur Hallaj, Khushal Khan Khattak, Rumi, Ansari, Nizami,...

RUBA'IYAT OF 'ATTAR Translation, Introduction & Notes by Paul Smith Farid ad-din 'Attar (d. 1221) is the Perfect Master Poet who was the author of over forty books of poetry and prose including The Conference of the Birds, The Book of God (which he is said to have presented to Rumi when he met him) and The Lives of the Saints. Apart from his many books in masnavi form he also composed many hundreds of mystical ghazals and ruba'is. He also changed the evolution of the ruba'i form by composing a long Sufi epic, the Mukhtar-nama, where each of 2088 ruba'is is connected by subject matter that...

Booksellers & Publishers ** Translation, Introduction & Notes by Paul Smith Sarmad (d. 1659) or Hazrat Sarmad Shaheed, whose name 'Sarmad' derives from the Persian word for eternal or everlasting, 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...

***BULLEH SHAH: SELECTED POEMS*** Translation & Introduction by Paul Smith Bulleh Shah (1680-1758) was a Sufi poet who composed in Punjabi and settled in Kasur, now in Pakistan. His Spiritual Master was Shah Inayat. The poetic form Bulleh Shah is called the Kafi, a style of Punjabi poetry used not only by the Sufis of Sindh and Punjab, but also by Sikh gurus. His poetry and philosophy strongly criticizes the Islamic religious orthodoxy of his day. His time was marked with communal strife between Muslims and Sikhs. But in that age Bulleh Shah was a beacon of hope and peace for the citizens of...