kognosko
Price: �77.27
In stock

8 used & new from �14.52

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

I Heard God Laughing: Renderings of Hafiz (Paperback)

by Daniel Ladinsky (Author), Henry S. Mindlin (Editor) "Hafiz describes some of the preparations required for the inner "Journey of Love ..." (more)

5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.

2 new from �76.47 6 used from �14.52

12 Days of Christmas Sale in Books
Get up to 65% off some of our top titles. Shop now

› See more product promotions

Special Offers and Product Promotions

Illuminate your book with the innovative Philips LED reading light--exclusive to Amazon.co.uk. Shop now.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Gift - Poems by Hafiz the Great Sufi Master

by Hafiz

4.8 out of 5 stars (9)

The Subject Tonight is Love: 60 Wild and Sweet Poems of Hafiz

by Daniel Ladinsky

�5.85

Love Poems from God

by Daniel Ladinsky

5.0 out of 5 stars (2) �8.34

I Heard God Laughing: Poems of Hope and Joy

by Shirazi Hafiz

3.0 out of 5 stars (1)

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

by Eckhart Tolle

4.4 out of 5 stars (162) �4.99

› Explore similar items

Product details

Paperback: 161 pages
Publisher: Sufism Reoriented (Aug 1996)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0915828189
ISBN-13: 978-0915828180
Product Dimensions: 25.5 x 18.5 x 1.5 cm

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 178,516 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category:
#66 in Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > Poetry > Genres > Inspirational & Religious

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

From the Publisher

Vibrant, contemporary rendering of love poetry of Hafiz
Though he lived seven hundred years ago, Hafiz is still the most popular poet of Persia, and one of the greatest love poets who ever lived. This little book is perhaps the best introduction to his life and work. The poems of Hafiz overflow with a profound appreciation of the beauty and richness of life when seen through the eyes of love. With unerring insight, he explores the feelings and motives associated with every level of love, tracing each nuance of emotion in depth and detail. His poetry outlines the stages of the mystic's "path of love" - that journey of inner unfolding in which love dissolves personal boundaries and limitations to join larger processes of growth and transformation. Through these processes, human love becomes divine love and the lover merges ultimately with the source and goal of all love, which Hafiz calls the Divine Beloved. Dan Ladinsky has rendered sixty of these poems in a vibrant contemporary American idiom, and the editor has added a concise, informative essay about the poet's life and times.

From the Author

"Good poetry makes the Universe admit a secret..." Hafiz
For centuries Hafiz has been called, "The Tongue of the Invisible." Through his works he continues to sing beautiful and wild love songs to this world from God.

Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
Hafiz describes some of the preparations required for the inner "Journey of Love." Read the first page

Explore More
Concordance

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

(What's this?)

Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)

poetry spiritual

sufism

rumi

lhafiz

laughter

jaibhakti

inspirational

divine poetry

bhakti brophy

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	52% buy the item featured on this page: I Heard God Laughing: Renderings of Hafiz 5.0 out of 5 stars (6)
	29% buy I Heard God Laughing: Poems of Hope and Joy 3.0 out of 5 stars (1)
	17% buy The Gift - Poems by Hafiz the Great Sufi Master 4.8 out of 5 stars (9)
	2% buy The Subject Tonight is Love: 60 Wild and Sweet Poems of Hafiz �5.85

Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

6 Reviews

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

5.0 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simplicity Belies Profundity, 11 Mar 2003

By	Bruce Kendall "BEK" (Southern Pines, NC) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

On its surface this collection of simple wisdom would appear almost New-Agey in terms of its contents. The book is essentially just a series of messages sent from a "seeker" to a loved one. Yet there is much that lies beneath the surface and that is very, very genuine at play here. It is in fact the perfect antidote to the sort of fluff that passes for spiritual writing these days. These are messages addressed to the "real" selves that all of us harbour, to the godhead that dwells inside us. Divine light shines through the pages of this book. Forget the self help books for once and allow your mind and spirit to drink in the celestial essence that Hafiz, et al impart. For a real journey of the spirit, take this book along with you to someplace peaceful and quiet and let yourself travel.
BEK

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hafiz trues the course of our journey towards Love, 21 Dec 1998

By A Customer

So much beauty! In this joyous book Hafiz appears to us as a beacon of pure light in contemporary garb. These deeply tender, witty, clear-eyed and fullest-hearted renditions have brightened my life. Hafiz can't help but true the course on our journey towards living Love. Because for him, in fact, nothing else exists. For Hafiz, only Love is Real.

Hafiz has influenced and nourished a great many through the years. In the West, inspired notables include Goethe, Nietzsche, Byron, Hugo and Emerson. Emerson wrote of Hafiz in his journals, "He fears nothing. He sees too far; he sees throughout; such is the only man I wish to see and be." And Goethe exclaimed, "This is madness, I know well, Hafiz has no peer!"

_I Heard God Laughing_ is a perfect gem of a book. Go ahead. Take Hafiz home with you. Why--he may even lead the way, dancing and singing all the while.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh new renderings of Persia's greatest poet, Hafiz., 26 Jul 1998

By A Customer

Hafiz' poetry is known for its focus on the experience of love. In fact, the body of his work forms an encyclopedic description of love's states and stages. Because of this, it is tremendously popular in the East. Hafiz couplets are quoted more often than is Shakespeare in the West. Laborer, prelate, scholar, housewife, merchant and artist alike are ready to spice their conversation with sayings of Hafiz.

Hafiz has now become accessible to readers of English through the efforts of American translator Daniel Ladinsky. Ladinsky's renderings of the medieval Persian poet are characterized by qualities we do not often associate with mystical poetry: wit, irreverence, and mischief. His approach turns 180 degrees away from previous translations, notably those of nineteenth century English scholars. Almost all the classical Persian imagery has been updated. Hardly a nightingale or a cypress tree is to be found. Instead of quaint Oriental cliches, we are treated to imagery wit! h a distinctly colloquial tone. A mystic's ecstasy as sung by the Beatles, perhaps. Daniel Ladinsky has given classical Persian poetry a fresh look, as he shows in this poem:

We have all come to the right place.

We all sit in God's classroom.

Now,

The only thing left for us to do, my dear,

Is to stop

Throwing spitballs for a while.

Daniel Ladinsky has chosen to focus on Hafiz' poetic strategies, rather than a literal interpretation. Chief among the strategies Ladinsky has reproduced is the shock of invention to blow away the constraints of the rational mind. In this poem, translated with the title, "Of Course Things Like That Can Happen," the effect is fresh and contemporary. Here is an excerpt:

Once God made love to a great saint

Who had a hairy belly.

Of course things like that can happen!

And it was a surprise

Only to the novice on the path

When the saint's stomach began to swell

Just like a woman's ...

Of course things like that can ! happen.

For another example of Hafiz' tactic of surprise,! look at this passage, also captured with stunning freshness:

The sun rolls through the sky meadows every day,

And a billion cells run

To the top of a leaf to scream and applaud

And smash things in their joy.

Wherever Ladinsky does retain Hafiz' original symbolism, he gives it a spin without losing the mystical meaning, as in this poem:

Bring your cup near me,

For I am a Sweet Old Vagabond

With an Infinite Leaking Barrel

Of Light and Laughter and Truth

That the Beloved has tied to my back.

Dan Ladinsky has done a great favor to all who, after Coleman Barks' work on Rumi, wish to read more Middle Eastern poetry. Along with Robert Bly's "Kabir Book," and the American audience Barks created for Rumi, we now have accessible and appealing versions of Persia's literary giant Hafiz. We can only hope to see more of this grand and ancient poetic tradition.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 6 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Hafiz, a great poet
A few years ago a news reporter ran an interesting demo on the working of human mind using an elephant and an "Art scholar". Read more

Published on 5 Jun 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Hafiz trues the course of our journey towards Love.
Such beauty! In this joyous book Hafiz appears to us as a beacon of pure light in contemporary garb. Read more

Published on 9 Dec 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars The beginning of a beautiful friendship?
Somebody announces, "I heard God laughing," and you crane your neck around. It's as irresistible as if he were to hoist a line of shot-glasses on his nose. What's to lose? Read more

Published on 6 Dec 1998

› See all 6 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jqOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jqOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jqOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; }

Customer Discussions

This product's forum

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Active discussions in related forums

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
religion Atheists, if there is no God, what the fuss?	179	55 minutes ago
religion Christmas Markets 2009 - A thought, a song, a wish ... You are not religious?	7	2 hours ago
religion Somali woman stoned for adultery	158	5 hours ago
religion Richard Dawkins, summer camps and children	44	6 hours ago
religion Why accept a God that's not real?	19	8 hours ago
religion God does not exist because ...	2346	1 day ago
religion Would hell be the fun party every one makes it out to be?	87	1 day ago