The Illuminated Hafiz: Love Poems for the Journey to Light - Hardcover

by Hafiz (Author), Michael Green (Illustrator), Green (Illustrator)

Winner of the Nautilus Awards 2020 in Gold: Gift & Specialty

Vivid translations by Coleman Barks, Robert Bly, Omid Safi, Meher Baba, and others combine with Michael and Saliha Green's stunning illustrations to bring the immortal poetry of the great Persian master Hafiz to life

"There is this matter
of the light in my eyes.

If you want to know the Friend,
don't expect elegant arguments!

Demand a blessing
from one who gives you joy."

--Hafiz (tr. Barks)

"Hafiz is without peer!" exclaimed Goethe. Known as "The Tongue of the Hidden Mysteries," Shams al-Din Muhammad Hafiz of Shiraz is the most revered of Persian poets. When the Sun of Infinite Reality dawned in his being, he poured forth mystic verse so sublime it touched the hearts of kings and commoners alike.

Hafiz's poems of intimate divine love spread through the East in his lifetime, then into the West, influencing such luminaries as Emerson, Brahms, Queen Victoria, Nietzsche, and Garcia Lorca. Today, nearly 700 years after his death, the unmatched genius and bold wit of Hafiz continues to ignite hearts and intoxicate souls everywhere.

The Illuminated Hafiz brings together vivid translations by Coleman Barks, Robert Bly, Omid Safi, Meher Baba, Peter Booth, and others with the luminous art of Michael and Saliha Green, weaving them into a stunning contemporary presentation in the tradition of classical Persian illuminated manuscripts and unveiling the mysteries of the path of love.

Come, raise a cup! Join with Hafiz and his incomparable love poems in a holy revel on the journey into light.

Author Biography

Hafiz
Hafiz of Shiraz (c.1315-1390) known as "The Tongue of the Hidden Mysteries," was a Persian poet and mystic whose life and works reached the height of spiritual attainment. Hafiz has influenced generations of renowned writers and artists in the East and West with his verse devoted to revealing the mysteries of human and divine passion on the path to union with God.

Michael Green
Michael Green is a fine artist who earned his BA at New York University and has devoted his career to creating works that evoke the contemplative and sacred traditions. He is the illustrator of the long-bestselling The Illuminated Rumi, The Illuminated Prayer, and many other books. He lives with his wife Saliha in Pennsylvania. For more, see michaelgreenarts.com.

Sally (Saliha) Green
Saliha Green studied fine art at Mount Holyoke College and horticulture at Barnes Arboretum School and Longwood Gardens, combining these arts as a garden designer for 30 years. In 2005, Saliha shifted her focus to digital art and began creating images to accompany the verses of Hafiz. She lives with her husband Michael in Pennsylvania. For more, see salihagreen.com.

Coleman Barks
Coleman Barks is a leading scholar and translator of the 13th-century Persian mystic Jelaluddin Rumi. In addition to publishing two books of his own poetry (The Juice and Gourd Seed), Barks has published 12 volumes of translations from Rumi and others, and contributed to over 20 anthologies. He taught literature at the University of Georgia for 30 years and currently lives in Athens, Georgia. For more, see colemanbarks.com.