Mir-Taqi-Miror Mir, as he is better knownwas one of the greatest poets of Urdu. The book is a fascinating story of his life of rare courage and grit. Orphaned at the age of eleven with the death of an ascetic father, with nothing to fall back on, young Mir was thrown into difficult times to face life and support his family. The Indian subcontinent faced internecine wars, and the great Mughal empire was crumbling in front of the child Mir, who was left to fend for himself and provide for his family. Mir witnessed the destruction and savagery of Nadir Shah and Ahmed Shah Abdali brought upon Delhi. These historical times left a deep impression on Mir as is seen in his poetic sensibilities. The book captures the personal travails of Mir, the drama of his time, and his soul- stirring poetry. Arguably the greatest of Urdu poets Ghalib made a rare unqualified exception when it came to Mir as he wrote: Rekhta ke tum hee ustaad nahin ho Ghalib, Kehte hain agle Zamane mein koi Mir bhi tha . . . Ghalib, you are not the only master of Urdu poetry Heard people say there was one Mir in the bygone era
MIR: LIFE & POEMS Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Mir Taqi Mir (1723 - 1810) was the leading Urdu poet of the eighteenth century and one of the pioneers of Urdu. He was one of the principal poets of the Delhi school of the Urdu ghazal. He was born in Agra and left for Delhi after the death of his father whose emphasis on the importance of love and the value of compassion remained with him, imbuing his poetry. At 17 he had a mental break-down and suffered from bouts of madness all his life. After the sack of Delhi he eventually moved to the court in Lucknow where he stayed for the remainder of his life. Like many Urdu poets Mir's literary reputation is from his ghazals. After moving to Lucknow his daughter died, then his son and wife. This, with other earlier setbacks, lends a strong pathos and melancholy to much of his writing. Like Obeyd Zakani and others before him Mir practiced the Malamati or 'Blameworthy' aspect of Sufism. His complete works or Kulliyat consists of 6 Divans, containing 13,585 couplets comprising all kinds of poetic forms: ghazals, masnavis, qit'as, ruba'is, etc He also composed a unique autobiography and a book on Urdu Poets and a book of spiritual advice for his son. Introduction: Mir's Life & Times & Poetry, Selected Bibliography, On the Various Poetic Forms Mir used. 120 pages Poets in the Introduction to Sufi Poets Series 'AISHAH Al-BA'UNIYAH, AMIR KHUSRAU, ANSARI, ANVARI, AL-MA'ARRI, 'ATTAR, ABU SA'ID, AUHAD UD-DIN, BABA FARID, BABA AZFAL, BABA TAHIR, BEDIL, BULLEH SHAH, DARA SHIKOH, GHALIB, HAFIZ, IBN 'ARABI, IBN YAMIN, IBN AL-FARID, IQBAL, 'IRAQI, JAHAN KHATUN, JAMI, KAMAL AD-DIN, KABIR, KHAQANI, KHAYYAM, LALLA DED, MAKHFI, MANSUR HALLAJ, MU'IN UD-DIN CHISHTI, NAZIR AKBARABADI, NESIMI, NIZAMI, OBEYD ZAKANI, RAHMAN BABA, RUMI, SANA'I, SADI, SARMAD, SHABISTARI, SHAH LATIF, SHAH NI'MAT'ULLAH, SULTAN BAHU, YUNUS EMRE, EARLY ARABIC SUFI POETS, EARLY PERSIAN SUFI POETS, URDU SUFI POETS, TURKISH SUFI POETS, AFGHAN SUFI POETS 90 - 120 pages each Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets from the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Mu'in, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Shah Latif, and others, and his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, screenplays. www.newhumanitybooks.com
THE BOOK OF MIR Selected Poems of Mir Taqi Mir Translation and Introduction Paul Smith Mir Taqi Mir (1723 - 1810) was the leading Urdu poet of the eighteenth century and one of the pioneers of Urdu. He was one of the principal poets of the Delhi school of the Urdu ghazal. He was born in Agra and left for Delhi after the death of his father whose emphasis on the importance of love and the value of compassion remained with him, imbuing his poetry. At Delhi he finished his education and joined a group of nobles as a court-poet. At 17 he had a mental break-down and suffered from bouts of madness all his life. After the sack of Delhi he eventually moved to the court in Lucknow where he stayed for the remainder of his life. Like many Urdu poets Mir's literary reputation is from his ghazals. After moving to Lucknow his daughter died, then his son and wife. This, with other earlier setbacks, lends a strong pathos and melancholy to much of his writing. Like Obeyd Zakani and others before him Mir practiced the Malamati or 'Blameworthy' aspect of Sufism. He was a prolific poet, his complete works or Kulliyat consisting of 6 Divans, containing 13,585 couplets comprising all kinds of poetic forms: ghazals, masnavis, qit'as, ruba'is, etc He also composed in Persian a Divan, a unique autobiography and a book on Urdu Poets and a book of spiritual advice for his son. This is the largest selection in English of most forms of his poetry with correct form and meaning kept, published for the first time. Introduction: Mir's Life & Times & Poetry, Selected Bibliography, On the Various Poetic Forms Mir used. Large Format Paperback... 7" x 10" 214 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. " 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). Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of many 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, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Mu'in, Amir Khusrau, Lalla Ded, Mahsati, Iqbal, Baba Farid and many others, as well as his own poetry, fiction, plays, children's books, biographies and a dozen screenplays. www.newhumanitybooks.com
Poetry Through a Lifetime: Part II is a follow on to Gedichte eines Lebens, Erster Teil (Poetry Through a Lifetime: Part I), which was written entirely in German. Part II was written in English from 1970 to the present. The poems reflect incidents that the author encountered. It could be interactions with nature, with animal life, with other humans, with the heavens, with the earth, with the weather, with anything.
Mir Taqi Mir (1723-1810), known as the god of Urdu poesy (Khuda-e Sukhan), is widely admired for his poetic genius. The most prolific among all Urdu poets, he produced six divans. His deceptively simple poetry had an unusual mellowness and natural flow.Mir was the first poet to demonstrate the hidden beauty and genius of the Urdu language. From the raw Braj of Agra to the sophisticated Persian of Delhi and the mellow Awadhi of Lucknow, he wove them all into his verse. He took the half-baked Rekhta of the mid-eighteenth century to new heights, reaching the pinnacle of literary Urdu's poetic and creative journey. With a substantial selection of Mir's most memorable ghazals, The Hidden Garden introduces readers to the life and poetry of the grossly misunderstood poet. This book is the perfect read for lovers of poetry and Urdu alike.
MIR, GHALIB & IQBALSelected PoemsTranslation & Introduction Paul SmithMir (1723 - 1810) was the leading Urdu poet of the eighteenth century and one of the pioneers of Urdu. He was one of the principal poets of the Delhi school of the Urdu ghazal. Like many Urdu poets Mir's literary reputation is from his ghazals. After moving to Lucknow his daughter died, then his son and wife. Mir practiced the Malamati or 'Blameworthy' aspect of Sufism. He was a prolific poet, his complete works consisting of 6 Divans comprising all kinds of poetic forms: ghazals, masnavis, qit'as, ruba'is, etc This is the largest selection in English of most forms of his poetry with correct form and meaning. Introduction on his Life, Selected Biography. Ghalib (1797-1869}, was born in the city of Agra of parents with Turkish aristocratic ancestry. His great fame came to him posthumously. Although he wrote ghazals, qit'as and ruba'is in Persian he is more famous for those written in Urdu. Here is a selection of his ghazals and other poems from the Persian & Urdu in the correct form and meaning. Introduction on his life, Selected Bibliography. Iqbal (1873-1938) was born in Sialkot, Punjab. He graduated with a master's degree in philosophy. Nietzsche and Bergson influenced him and he became critical of Western civilization that he regarded as decadent. He turned to Islam and Sufism for inspiration. These ideas found expression in his long poems written in Persian. In his final years he returned to Urdu as his medium with ghazals inspired by his on-and-off Sufism. Here is a large collection of his ruba'is, ghazals, nazms, qit'as, masnavis & a qasida in the correct rhyme-structure and meaning. Introduction on his life, Selected Bibliography. Large Format Paperback 7" x 10" 532 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... I am astonished. " Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran."Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator from English into Persian, knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart.Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of many 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, Mu'in, Amir Khusrau, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Omar Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Mahsati, Lalla Ded, Bulleh Shah, Shah Latif, Makhfi and many others, as well as his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and a dozen screenplays. www.newhumanitybooks.com
Murder at the Mushaira is arguably the finest literary-historical novel by an Indian author in contemporary times. Set during the time of India's First War of Independence in the nineteenth century, it is reminiscent of Umberto Eco's timeless classic, The Name of the Rose. It involves a grisly murder mystery that is solved by the great poet laureate of the realm, Mirza Ghalib. Should appeal to all readers of literary fiction, crime fiction, and historical fiction. - Is likely to win major literary awards.
KHWAJA MIR DARD A Great Urdu Sufi Poet Selected Poems Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Khwaja Mir Dard (1720-1784) is considered one of the three great poets of the Delhi school of classical Urdu poetry. He is firstly a Sufi poet who saw the physical world as a veil of the Divine Reality and this world a pathway. As a Sufi... he was respected by royalty, nobility and the poor. It was his father Khwaja Mohd Nasir Andlib, a Sufi saint and poet, who was the greatest influence on him. Dard was a great lover of mystical music both vocal and instrumental and he held soirees of music and mastered the art to perfection. At 28 he renounced earthly pleasures for a life of piety and humility. He taught one should happily submit to the will of God. He was able to successfully transmit his mystical philosophy into his poetry and his ghazals can be, like Hafiz's, read in both a mystical and secular way. His Divans of ruba'is, ghazals and other forms are in Urdu and Persian, and he wrote articles on Sufism. The correct rhyme structure has been achieved in all the different forms here translated. Introduction on his Life, Poetry & Times; Forms of Poetry; Sufism in Poetry; Six Urdu Poets (Wali, Sauda, Mir, Nazir, Zafar, Aatish) in Dard's that influenced him or he influenced, with their biographies, bibliographies and good selections of their Sufi poems. Selected Bibliography. Large Format Paperback 7"x10" 210 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." Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran. "Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator into Persian and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart. Paul Smith (b. 1945) is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets from the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Mu'in, Amir Khusrau, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Lalla Ded, Mahsati and others, and his own poetry, fiction, biographies, plays, children's books and screenplays. www.newhumanitybooks.com
