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Daniel James Ladinsky
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The Gift: Poems by Hafiz, the Great Sufi Master (Compass) Kindle Edition

by Hafiz (Author), Daniel Ladinsky (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition
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Chosen by author Elizabeth Gilbert as one of her ten favorite books, Daniel Ladinsky’s extraordinary renderings of 250 unforgettable lyrical poems by Hafiz, one of the greatest Sufi poets of all time

More than any other Persian poet—even Rumi—Hafiz expanded the mystical, healing dimensions of poetry. Because his poems were often ecstatic love songs from God to his beloved world, many have called Hafiz the “Invisible Tongue.” Indeed, Daniel Ladinsky has said that his work with Hafiz is an attempt to do the impossible: to render Light into words—to make the Luminous Resonance of God tangible to our finite senses.

I am
a hole in a flute
that the Christ's breath moves
through—
listen to this
music!

With this stunning collection of Hafiz’s most intimate poems, Ladinsky has succeeded brilliantly in presenting the essence of one of Islam’s greatest poetic and religious voices. Each line of The Gift imparts the wonderful qualities of this master Sufi poet and spiritual teacher: encouragement, an audacious love that touches lives, profound knowledge, generosity, and a sweet, playful genius unparalleled in world literature.
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  1. Part of series
    Arkana S.
  2. Print length
    354 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Penguin Books
  6. Publication date
    August 1, 1999
  7. Reading age
    18 years and up
  8. Grade level
    12 and up
  9. File size
    2091 KB
  10. Page Flip
    Enabled
  11. Word Wise
    Enabled
  12. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  13. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Hafiz, a secret Sufi, came to prominence in his day as a writer of love poems. That love transformed into an all-consuming passion for union with the divine. In The Gift, Daniel Ladinsky bestows on us the impassioned yet whimsical strains of Hafiz's ecstasy. Never forced or awkward, Ladinsky's Hafiz whispers in your ear and pounds in your chest, naming God in a hundred metaphors. I once asked a bird,
"How is it that you fly in this gravity
Of darkness?"
She responded,
"Love lifts
Me." Like Fitzgerald's version of Khayyam's Rubaiyat, the language of The Gift strikes a contemporary chord, resonating in the reader's mind and then in the heart. Ladinsky's language is plain, fresh, playful--dancing with an expert cadence that invites and surprises. If it is true, as Hafiz says, that a poet is someone who can pour light into a cup, reading Ladinsky's Hafiz is like gulping down the sun. --Brian Bruya

From Booklist

Less well known in the U.S. than his Sufi predecessor, Rumi, Hafiz (Shams-ud-din Muhammad) is also worthy of attention, and Ladinsky's free translations should help see that he gets it. Hafiz is so beloved in Iran that he outsells the Koran. Many know his verses by heart and recite them with gusto. And gusto is appropriate to this passionate, earthy poet who melds mind, spirit, and body in each of his usually brief pensees. Ladinsky has deliberately chosen a loose and colloquial tone for this collection, which might grate on the nerves of purists but makes Hafiz come vividly alive for the average reader. "You carry / All the ingredients / To turn your life into a nightmare--/ Don't mix them!" he advises, and "Bottom line: / Do not stop playing / These beautiful / Love / Games." Nothing is too human for Hafiz to celebrate, for in humanity he finds the prospect of God. In everything from housework to lovemaking, he celebrates the spiritual possibilities of life. A fine and stirring new presentation of one of the world's great poets. Patricia Monaghan

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002DMZ9WW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books; Gift edition (August 1, 1999)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 1, 1999
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2091 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 354 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0140195815
  • Customer Reviews:

About the authors

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  1. Daniel James Ladinsky

    Daniel James Ladinsky

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    Daniel Ladinsky is the translator of The Gift and Love Poems from God. For six years he lived with the family of Meher Baba in a spiritual community in western India.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Hafiz

    Hafiz

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Hafiz of Shiraz was widely regarded as an infidel in his day. Today he is recognized in the East not only for the excellence of his poetry, but also as a Sufi illuminate. His major work, The Diwan, is found beside the Koran in the homes of the devout. In the West, Hafiz--a contemporary of Dante--is admired for his love-poetry; Goethe, among others, acknowledged his influence.

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
986 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the content inspiring, timeless, and invaluable. They also describe the book as lovely, startling, and irreverent. Readers appreciate the playful sense of humor and the gentle, loving poetry. They say the poetry is great and insightful. Opinions are mixed on the translation, with some finding it good and others saying it's poor.

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PoetryEnjoyabilityContentHumorEmotionGiftabilityTranslationComprehensibility
86 customers mention "Poetry"84 positive2 negative

Customers find the poetry in the book stellar, thoughtful, and spiritual. They appreciate the interpretations and translations, and say the quotes have new layers of meaning every time they read. Readers also say the book is easy to read and well written.

"...Sit with it for a bit and think. It’s great poetry and always is insightful...." Read more

"...Many thanks to Daniel Ladinsky, the author for his thoughtful and spiritual rendering of the selected Hafiz immortal poems." Read more

"...tongue, I really enjoyed reading the book and appreciated the interpretations and translation...." Read more

"...the range of philosophical and religious reflection in Hafiz' writing is amazing, delightful, and life-affirming...." Read more

51 customers mention "Enjoyability"51 positive0 negative

Customers find the book lovely, enjoyable, and good for kids to read. They also say the images are startling, hilarious, and irreverent.

"...The images here are startling and often hilarious and irreverent...." Read more

"...philosophical and religious reflection in Hafiz' writing is amazing, delightful, and life-affirming...." Read more

"The book has a lovely, reasonably long, introduction to Hafiz, his time, and fellow poets which helps to create an open and curious mind for the..." Read more

"...Hafiz, interpreted by Daniel Ladinsky, is spiritual Baklava: sweet, a little nutty, many layers deep and best savored a bit at a time." Read more

44 customers mention "Content"44 positive0 negative

Customers find the book inspiring, mystical, and highly relevant. They also say the poetry leaves them inebriated and ecstatic. Readers also mention that the book is religious and a must-read for the faithful.

"...Sit with it for a bit and think. It’s great poetry and always is insightful...." Read more

"...These poems hold the essence of experiential spirituality, the possibility of unlimited creativity, the ocean of love, the sweet agony of longing,..." Read more

"...religious reflection in Hafiz' writing is amazing, delightful, and life-affirming. Not every poem is equally rewarding, but how could they be?..." Read more

"Eckhart Tolle is rightfully, to my mind, one of the greatest living teachers whose work reaches millions...." Read more

14 customers mention "Humor"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the humor in the book surprising, playful, and fun. They also say the book is inspiring, fun, and fulfilling.

"...The images here are startling and often hilarious and irreverent...." Read more

"...and some of the verses do have a rather surprising and playful sense of humor..." Read more

"...as no other, capturing the intimacy with God in all its glory... with humor, with tenderness, with playfulness, with devotion and absolute joy...." Read more

"...It is wonderful to see such kind, compassionate, funny, and uplifting and contemporary teaching from someone born in Persia in about 1325...." Read more

9 customers mention "Emotion"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book loving, compassionate, intimate, and challenging. They also say it softens complex men and is gentle.

"...spirituality, the possibility of unlimited creativity, the ocean of love, the sweet agony of longing, and the unbearable joy of ectsasy...." Read more

"...or Muslim or whatever to appreciate his poetry with its deep feelings of connectedness and love of life...." Read more

"...capturing the intimacy with God in all its glory... with humor, with tenderness, with playfulness, with devotion and absolute joy...." Read more

"...The poems here are exquisite, intimate, and deeply challenging in all the best ways...." Read more

6 customers mention "Giftability"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book wonderful, great for English speakers, and a well packaged classic.

"...Religious content. Would make a wonderful gift." Read more

"Ironically, this book makes a great gift as that was what I bought it for. Beautiful works bound inside a beautiful cover...." Read more

"...Everyone should read this book. It's great as a gift as well, as the title suggests." Read more

"A well packaged classic. Awesome!" Read more

15 customers mention "Translation"6 positive9 negative

Customers are mixed about the translation. Some mention it's good, while others say it'd be better with modern slang.

"...You will quickly see the difference. The translations vary quite a bit stylistically--eg, Gertrude Bell's biblical-sounding 18th-century translation..." Read more

"...rendering of Hafiz poems for him and found this book suitable for an English language speaker...." Read more

"Some have objected to this work on the grounds that the translation is not literal or takes too much poetic license...." Read more

"...cannot read Hafiz in his original language, I think the translator did an excellent job...." Read more

8 customers mention "Comprehensibility"5 positive3 negative

Customers find the book easy to relate to and an easy introduction to Sufism. They also say the poems are exquisite, intimate, and deeply challenging. However, some readers find the poems hard to understand and frustrating.

"...Ladinsky's work and it does persent Hafez in an attractive, accessible manner...." Read more

"...The language is also usually simplistic, the use of metaphor awkward and often not interesting, so that from an aesthetic point of view, these could..." Read more

"...The poems here are exquisite, intimate, and deeply challenging in all the best ways...." Read more

"...The poetry of Hafiz, one hundred years after Rumi, offers an easy introduction to Sufism...." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

Jav M
5.0 out of 5 stars Quick and valuable read
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2024
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I love this book. It’s not a sit down and read it through (unless you want to!). It’s a sit, turn to a random page, and read. Sit with it for a bit and think. It’s great poetry and always is insightful. I often purchase this as gifts for friends and is great to have on a “coffee table” or lamp stand.
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5.0 out of 5 stars A great gift for English speakers of Persian Sufi poetry
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2024
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I love Hafiz, the Sufi Persian poet, and have been reading this and works by other poets in Farsi for many years. I still remember some of these poems and go back them whenever I need spiritual guidance. Recently, of my grandsons who is in highschool told me he has been introduced to Hafiz by one of his teachers. I searched for a good rendering of Hafiz poems for him and found this book suitable for an English language speaker. Many thanks to Daniel Ladinsky, the author for his thoughtful and spiritual rendering of the selected Hafiz immortal poems.
One person found this helpful
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Divan
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a 'Fraud'... perhaps not
Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2022
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This is my first Review ever on Amazon and I am doing this for the love of Hafiz. I am originally of Persian origin and a life long lover of Hafiz... Have visited his tomb and the beautiful city of Shiraz. For people who are looking for a perfect translation, let me tell you that this is not it, not even close. To translate Hafiz, is to try and reproduce Shakespeare in another language and have it somehow come out with the same texture for the modern age (perhaps impossible). So reading Hafiz in Farsi requires years and years of cultural, intellectual and spiritual studies. To me he was an enlightened artist that had walked the esoteric Sufi path to full and authentic comprehension/liberation, in the process one can sense his love for existence and connection to the source (his own being). It feels like he had reached a place where like any great artist he had the necessary tools developed physically/mentally/intellectually to be able to translate his mystical experiences fluently and effortlessly into an external art form (in his case lyric poetry and who knows what else). I am explaining my understanding of him/her to make a point here. Mr. Ladinsky has somehow connected to the essence of Hafiz. In order to comprehend Hafiz in another language (and a whole different time/setting), one has to somehow try the impossible and reproduce the texture by trying to remove vague cultural, intellectual and spiritual references with ideas and thoughts that resonate with people today. Ladinsky has tried and somehow succeeded with giving us a glimpse (just a glimpse) of Hafiz and his loving/playful spirit. In my opinion, this book is mainly an intro to Hafiz, but even an intro is enough to open the door for those that like to venture deeper. In Iran Hafiz (or Hafez) and his main and perhaps only book 'Divan' is read like an Oracle (like the I Ching) - with intention and perhaps a lingering question one opens up to a page to receive his guidance. Well this book, carries the same fire if you're able to get past your ideas of right and wrong and just tune into it. For many Iranians (lots of my own friends), this book brings up a lot of challenges and I can understand that because it's so different from the original, but yet if you are able to realize that his poetry was from over 600 years ago, from a time when the culture was so different and language was a lot more evolved, than maybe you can put into context what this book is actually doing. And yes, language was more evolved, just look at the older writings by poets and writers and it should be obvious (that's a whole other subject). Mr. Ladinsky, has tried his best and this seems like the only book so far that allows one to get a glimpse of Hafiz in the english language, but he also does fall short in many aspects obviously (There probably isn't anyone that could perfectly translate Hafiz, even in Iran people argue about the deeper meanings of most of his writings). Hafiz's words are from another dimension and brought to life in Farsi, so to truly feel Hafiz, one has to study Farsi.
31 people found this helpful
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Farinaz Parsay
5.0 out of 5 stars I love The Gift of Hafiz by Daniel Landinsky I am ...
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2016
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I love The Gift of Hafiz by Daniel Landinsky

I am Persian and I love the poetry of Hafiz but the book Gift is the first book I read in English language translated by Daniel Ladinsky. As a Persian who is born and raised knowing the poetry of Hafiz by heart and in their original tongue, I really enjoyed reading the book and appreciated the interpretations and translation.

Daniel Ladinsky is an American poet known as interpreter of mystical poetry born and raised in Saint Louise. He has said “the poet who I have worked most with is the 14th century Persian poet Hafiz. And Goethe has said, Hafiz has no peer. And I think Goethe knew what he was talking about”.

Daniel Ladinsky has written many other books about Hafiz which are unique and many have come to know about this great Persian Master more glorious in the English language. In a rare interview on October 2013 with the Sun Magazine, Daniel Ladinsky shares about his spiritual longing, his encounter with a living saint in India who inspired him to work on Hafiz. In his preface of “The Gift” he invites us to join him in his fantastic applause of life and says “I vote to inscribe these words of Hafiz on every flag, church bell, temple, mosque, and politician’s brain:

Dear ones, let’s anoint this earth with dance!

I recommend the book "Gift" to everyone who enjoys poetry.
5 people found this helpful
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David Bankston
5.0 out of 5 stars Music of the Spheres
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2000
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For me, Like many others who have read Dan Ladinsky's unique versions of Hafiz, I find them an ever fresh fountain. These poems hold the essence of experiential spirituality, the possibility of unlimited creativity, the ocean of love, the sweet agony of longing, and the unbearable joy of ectsasy.
It is difficult to remember that these miraculous jewels sprang from a life (Hafiz's)that was not without difficulty. The images here are startling and often hilarious and irreverent. But I think that most important Hafiz expands our ability to imagine and understand God. I grew up as a fundamentalist Christian and it never occurred to me that God could be as tender as this,
"When the violin can forgive the past It starts singing. . . . You will become such a drunk laughing nuisance That God will then lean down And start combing you into His hair."
Here is Hafiz's breathtaking yet practical image of unconditional love,
"Even after all this time The sun never says to the earth "You owe me." Look what happens with a love like that, It lights the whole sky."
In GREETING GOD Hafiz exquisitely describes spiritual longing this way,
". . .Tonight there is a jeweled falcon singing In a blessed pain using the tongue of Hafiz."
I have given more than a few copies of THE SUBJECT TONIGHT IS LOVE as gifts. Now I'll give the gift of THE GIFT.
I am a singer and a songwriter and I hear songs in these poems. Thank you Dan Ladinsky! You are like the "jeweled falcon" singing with "the tongue of Hafiz."
Many blessings
David Bankston, DMA
6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Gabsile Phala
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious 😄
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 29, 2022
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Some of the poems are very funny! Great read anytime of day you need a pick up or food for thought.✨
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Nelle Pettit Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Probably not accurate translation but good poetry
Reviewed in France on February 3, 2022
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I have read in other reviews that this translation of Hafiz is far from accurate, and yet, the poetry has a wonderful mystical element. So, if you are looking for purity in the words of Hafiz, this may not be for you. If you are looking for mystical poetry, you may just enjoy it.
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Ramona
5.0 out of 5 stars Bello
Reviewed in Italy on April 20, 2020
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Buona qualità
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ISHAN RAHUL
5.0 out of 5 stars ♡♡♡♡♡
Reviewed in India on August 22, 2018
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They say the taste of God-realization can't be shared in words. One has to taste it himself. Similarly, the purity of words of Hafiz is indescribable. One has to read it himself. Thus I am attaching snaps of few poems. Taste it yourself.
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ISHAN RAHUL
5.0 out of 5 stars ♡♡♡♡♡
Reviewed in India on August 22, 2018
They say the taste of God-realization can't be shared in words. One has to taste it himself. Similarly, the purity of words of Hafiz is indescribable. One has to read it himself. Thus I am attaching snaps of few poems. Taste it yourself.
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9 people found this helpful
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Jason McLaughlin
5.0 out of 5 stars All Good!
Reviewed in Australia on January 30, 2019
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Two thumbs up!
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