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THE BOOK OF ABU SA'ID Ruba'iyat... Life & Times & Teachings Translation by Paul Smith Introduction by Paul Smith & R.A. NicholsonAbu Sa'id ibn Abi 'l-Khair (968-1049) was a Perfect Master and a poet who lived in Nishapur and elsewhere and composed only ruba'is, over 400 of them. He was one of the founders of Sufi poetry and a major influence on the ruba'i and most poets that followed, especially Sana'i, Nizami, 'Attar, Rumi and Hafiz. Here are 188 of his poems translated into the correct form. Included in the Introduction are the Life & Times & Teachings of Abu Sa'id and a history of the ruba'i and examples by its greatest exponents up until him. Selected Bibliography. The correct rhyme-structure is kept as well as the beauty and meaning of these immortal four-line poems. Large Format 7" x 10" 357 pages.COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION OF 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 many mystical works in English into Persian and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart."I was very impressed with the beauty of these books." Dr. R.K. Barz. Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University."Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz." Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author of poems inspired by Hafiz). Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of over 150 books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages... including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Nesimi, Baba Farid, Lalla Ded, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Bulleh Shah, Mahsati and many others, as we