The Gift: Poems by Hafiz, the Great Sufi Master
The Gift is Daniel Ladinsky's best known collection of English versions of the fourteenth century Persian mystic Hafiz. Ladinsky does not read Persian and describes his work as inspired renderings rather than literal translations, which Persian scholars have criticized. That said, his versions have introduced Hafiz to a huge American audience through their humor, warmth, and joy. The poems circle the beloved, the tavern, laughter as a spiritual practice, and the folly of taking oneself too seriously. Ladinsky's Hafiz can sound closer to a spiritual stand up comic than a medieval mystic, and readers looking for a scholarly Hafiz should also seek out translators like Dick Davis or Peter Avery. Even so, this collection has become a devotional staple for many readers. Elizabeth Gilbert has cited Ladinsky's Hafiz as one of the voices that most consistently lifts her mood.
What you might want to know about The Gift: Poems by Hafiz, the Great Sufi Master
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Daniel Ladinsky offers loose, playful English renderings of the fourteenth century Persian mystic Hafiz.
Gilbert has cited Ladinsky's Hafiz as a book she keeps close by and often reads to lift her mood. She has recommended The Gift in newsletters and interviews as one of her favorite books of playful, ecstatic spiritual poetry.
No. Ladinsky does not read Persian and describes his work as inspired renderings. Scholars have criticized them as loose, so readers who want a more literal Hafiz should look at translators like Dick Davis, though many readers still love Ladinsky's voice.
The Gift: Poems by Hafiz, the Great Sufi Master was written by Daniel Ladinsky, published in 1999 by Penguin Compass.
The Gift: Poems by Hafiz, the Great Sufi Master is 336 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Gift: Poems by Hafiz, the Great Sufi Master takes most readers 5 to 7 hours to finish.
The Gift: Poems by Hafiz, the Great Sufi Master is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.
