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Middle Eastern Poetry:
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I'd recommend The Essential Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks. I don't speak Persian and haven't read other translations, but I think this collection is great. I particularly like “The Reed Flute's Song” and “I Have Five Things to Say.”
No, the pedar got me this from his trip to Iran. Same with backgammon board.
I also have this one but it’s not as authentic as one in video.
Shahnameh: The Epic of the Persian Kings https://www.amazon.com/dp/1631494465/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_NWYZ63DV8D7ZP5G8CB4G
I can post the pictures of either one
My personal favorite translation is Gilgamesh: A New English Version by Stephen Mitchell. I find that it’s the most lyrical and emotive translation that I’ve found.
Shiraz is a truly magical place, and I hope one day to go back. Anyone interested in an in depth exploration of Shiraz' history will find Ambassador John Limbert's book Shiraz in the Age of Hafez: The Glory of a Medieval Persian City to provide wonderful background.
Dick Davis’s translation of Shahnameh is fine. The copy I have is purely written in English though. I haven’t read any Hafiz so I can’t help you with that. Dick Davis Shahnameh
I found this which seems interesting, most of the rest of stuff on Amazon seems to be general compendiums. Did he write on a variety of topics?
Thank you so much for posting this. It inspired me to search online for more poetry/poets like this, and I ended up buying this amazing anthology (it also has the poem you posted). The Sufi tradition is amazing.
Mi-am propus sa citesc lista lui Neil deGrasse Tyson. Chiar mi-am downloadat versiunea epub a bibliei. Din pacate, e nevoie de mai multa liniste si rabdare decat am anticipat.
Ca propunere recomand "The Gift" by Hafez. Sunt cam 1/3 in carte si este superba.
>Do you think a regular Iranian without a major investment in learning English literature, American history, and the wider European sensibilities these have played out upon will be an understanding audience for Whitman or Dickinson?
I am not sure how to understand this question. Whether Persian or Western (and I think this is a false dichotomy since Western culture has long been enriched by Persian), it takes an investment in education of some kind to understand the insights of any of these poets. Scholars from both traditions continue to make the investments required to understand something of the other.
My mentor during my intial discovery of Iran wrote Shiraz in the Age of Hafez and there are others putting in this kind of deep effort which can benefit all of our understanding.
Congrats!
My wife and I used selections from Rumi, e.g.:
May this marriage be blessed. May this marriage be as sweet as milk and honey. May this marriage be as intoxicating as old wine. May this marriage be fruitful like a date tree. May this marriage be full of laughter and everyday a paradise. May this marriage be a seal of compassion for here and hereafter. May this marriage be as welcome as the full moon in the night sky. Listen lovers, now you go on, as I become silent and kiss this blessed night.