HAFEZ The Long Poems Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Persia's greatest exponent of the ghazal Hafiz (1320-1392) who was small, fat and ugly became a Perfect Spiritual Master (Qutub), was twice exiled from his beloved Shiraz for his criticism of rulers and false Sufi masters and hypocritical clergy. He is now considered as one of the greatest poets of all time. His Divan shows he composed in other forms other than his ghazals and ruba'is: his famous three masnavi poems... The Wild Deer, Book of the Winebringer & Book of the Minstrel are mysterious and sublime as are his qasidas,...