'ATTAR: SELECTED POETRY Translation & Introduction by Paul Smith Farid ad-din 'Attar is seen with Sana'i and Rumi (who he met and influenced) as one of the three most important Sufi Poet-Masters of the 13th century. He composed over forty books mainly in the epic masnavi form of rhyming couplets, his most famous being The Book of God and The Conference of the Birds. He also composed many powerful mystical poems in the ghazal form and in the ruba'i form. Here for the first time is a fine selection of his poems in all three forms in the correct-rhyme structure with the beauty and meaning of his immortal poems. Introduction on his Life & Times and Poetry and an essay by Inayat Khan on Sufi Poetry. Appendix & Selected Bibliography & Glossary. 222 pages. COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION HAFIZ'S 'DIVAN'. "It is not a joke... the English version of ALL the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat and of paramount importance. I am astonished. If he comes to Iran I will kiss the fingertips that wrote such a masterpiece inspired by the Creator of all." Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran. "Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator of works in English into Persian and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart. "Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz." Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author). "I have never seen such a good translation and I would like to write a book in Farsi and introduce his Introduction to Iranians." Mr B. Khorramshai, Academy of Philosophy, Tehran. "I was very impressed with the beauty of these books." Dr. R.K. Barz. Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University. Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets from the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages... including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Mu'in, Amir Khusrau, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Omar Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Mahsati and many others, as well as his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and screenplays.