THE WISDOM OF IBN YAMIN SELECTED POEMS Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Amir Fakhr al-Din Mahmud, or Ibn Yamin (1286-1367), was born in Turkistan. His father was a poet who taught him the craft and left his son wealthy and the role of the court-poet in Khurasan. Ibn Yamin was taken captive when war broke out in 1342 and his complete Divan of poems was destroyed. He was a master of the form of the qi'ta. He is now as he was then, famous for his down-to-earth wisdom. Hafiz was probably influenced by his poems. During the last 25 years of his life he composed 5000 couplets on top of all he...

THE BOOK OF IBN YAMIN Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Amir Fakhr al-Din Mahmud, or Ibn Yamin (1286-1367), was born in Turkistan. His father was a poet who taught him the craft and left his son wealthy and the role of the court-poet in Khurasan. Ibn Yamin was taken captive when war broke out in 1342 and his complete Divan of poems was destroyed. He was a master of the form of the qit'a but he also wrote ruba'is and ghazals... often with a Sufi point of view. All are here represented. He is now as he was then, famous for his down-to-earth commonsense. Hafiz was influenced by his poems. He...