Hafiz's Little Book of Life

Hafiz of Shiraz, also known as Hafez, is among the most enduring voices in Persian literature. His mystic lyric poetry has long been regarded as a major achievement of world literature, alongside Dante, Goethe, and Shakespeare.

This volume gathers more than 250 selections from his work in new translations by two award-winning translators. A portrait of Hafiz’s life and times, translators’ notes, an extensive glossary, bibliography, and an appendix on Hafiz as an oracle provide a considered context for the poems.

At once playful, searching, and clear-eyed, these verses move between flights of imagination and reflections on love, spirituality, wisdom, and daily life. An inviting introduction to a poet whose work continues to reward return visits.

“From the first page, you are invited to settle into a sublime sanctuary and partake in enchantment until you feel the Beloved inside your beating heart and running through your veins.”