Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Hafiz, another Beloved Poet (Like Rumi)


I'm going to give myself a little break from writing about Rumi in relation to a world-renowned pop star! Yes, you did read that right! ;) Due to the time pressure of a daily blog post this month - I need some time to read and research - I will introduce you (if you aren't familiar yet) with another wonderful Middle Eastern poet in the meantime.

Have any of you heard of Hafiz (born as Shams-ud-din Muhammad Hafiz)? He was the most beloved poet of Persia, and he has impacted the lives of some pretty influential people since then: Ralph Waldo Emerson primarily known as a poet; Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a writer and poet; Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, a philospher, poet, and composer amongst other things; and the composer and pianist Johannes Brahms. (You can read more about Hafiz and Rumi in, Love Poems from God: Twelve Sacred Voices from the East and West by Daniel Ladinsky.)

Hafiz penned about 5,000 poems in his lifetime of 66 years of age. Here are some short samples with some Iranian music:



This is one of my favourite poems of his: How did the rose ever open its heart and give to this world all of its beauty? It felt the encouragement of light against its being, otherwise we all remain too frightened. (I love how the poems in this book are all centred on the page, albeit I wish I knew how to do it here!)

Or how about this one which I adore just as much, Know the true nature of your Beloved. In His loving eyes, your every thought, word, and movement is always, always, beautiful. (Isn't his poetry just exquisite? I swear Hafiz could be Rumi reincarnated! Like Rumi, Hafiz was a Sufi mystic and his poems shared a similar quality in writing: eloquent and sensual, speaking of love and devotion, others of humour and wit.

And the video below is a twist on Hafiz' poetry with some modern words, music, and images: I love them all!



FYI (for your information), I just realized that I have been drinking organic "sweet rose" tea today and the past two postings. No wonder perhaps why I am drawn to write about "love" poetry! ;)

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