The Gift - Poems by Hafiz the Great Sufi Master

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Beautiful and celebratory poetry - Rated
Only knowing Hafiz, through this book I am not in a position to judge whether the book does him justice or whether too much of the tranlator's own poetical and mystical nature has come into play. What I can say is, that I truly enjoyed reading it as many of the poems appealed to my heart and provoked some reflection of what we do. Like this short poem called "Find a better job":

Now
That
All your worry
Has proven such an
Unlucrative
Business,
Why
Not
Find a better
Job

Pity about the Americanisms - Rated
The occasional liberties taken with the original text totally detract from its meaning. The American slang is best kept to its own shores - it has no place here. Thank god for the Wilberforce edition!

Laughing and crying... - Rated
Oh dear, am I drunk... But not a drop of wine did touch these parched lips! Daniel Ladinsky's transcriptions of Hafiz's poems truly come alive in our tounge. What more is there to say? I bow before thee, Friend.

A powerful book for anyone with a love of metaphor - Rated
The Gift is an extraordinary book. Speaking both as a poet and as a teacher of writing for more than twenty years, I strongly recommend this surprising, powerful work to anyone with a love of metaphor. And for the reader who is drawn to the spiritual, these poems will reawaken the soul and evoke the honeymoon stage of the Divine Romance.

to kiss the hand of the man who labored to translate it. - Rated
Every seeker lucky enough to stumble across this book will spontaneously want to kneel and kiss the hands of Hafiz and the man who labored to translate it for our modern ears.