The Angels Knocking at the Tavern Door: Thirty Poems of Hafez

The medieval Persian mystical poet Hafez used sinuous lines and ringing metaphors to write about wisdom, the dangers of repression and the paradoxes of his faith. His blend of simplicity and challenge makes him the most popular poet in Iran today. Bly and Lewisohn (a world-class Sufism expert) present clear and memorable versions of Hafez’s renowned lyric meditations, though they forgo the original ghazal form (with its intricate repetitions) in favor of unrhymed pentameters. Sometimes their Hafez offers good advice: “Let’s be faithful to what we love./ And keep our spirits high.” Sometimes he describes his warmth and contentment: “The delight of a few words/ With a soul friend for us is enough.” Just as often, though, he shows how the ways of his seeking, and the distance between divine immanence and earthly travail, can disturb even the most sincere follower: “Don’t imagine us to be like the tulip,” he concludes; “rather look at the dark/ Spot of grief we have set on our scorched hearts.” Though Hafez does not (yet) have the immense Western popularity of that other Sufi mystic, Rumi, his verse has all the ingredients to make a similar splash. (Apr.)