For anyone interested in Sufism in particular, or mystical understanding in general, Attar’s works are indispensable. His influence on later giants, such as the mystic poet Jalaleddin Rumi, is well documented. Attar is mostly known in the West for his Biographies of the Saints, and for Conference of the Birds; but he has also produced a number of other masterpieces well-known among lay persons and Sufi practitioners in Iran, and in cultures influenced by the Persian language. Sweet Sorrows is the first compilation of Attar’s lesser-known works in English. The translator, Vraje Abramian, has selected 350 short verses that cover a wide range of Attar’s poetic moods—from somewhat satirical and humorous to tender and heartbreaking. Born in 1119, Attar lived in infamously chaotic times when petty warlords never relented, and famine and disease were the order of the day. He was killed in 1221 during the utter destruction of his hometown of Rey at the hands of invading Mongol hoards. The value of Attar’s influence as a beacon of light during these times cannot be overestimated. He always seems to be focused on his belief in basic human goodness. Attar insisted that the individual should concentrate on refining his or her sensitivities in order to escape ignorance and become worthy of being called a “human being.” Many generations since Attar have taken refuge in his writings to strengthen their faith to choose what cannot be seen, over all that can.

The 13th century Sufi poet Farid al-Din Attar is renowned as an author of short lyrics written in the Persian language. Dealing with themes of love, passion and mysticism, this book presents the English versions of Attar's poetry. It also offers an analysis of Attar's poetic language and thought.

'ATTAR OF NISHAPOUR: SELECTED POEMS (Large Type & Large Format Edition) Translation & Introduction Paul Smith. Farid al-din 'Attar of Nishapour is seen with Sana'i and Rumi (who he met and influenced) as one of the three most important Sufi Poet-Masters of the 13th century. He composed over forty books mainly in the epic masnavi form of rhyming couplets, his most famous being The Book of God and The Conference of the Birds. He also composed many powerful mystical poems in the ghazal form that influenced Sa'di and Hafiz and all who came later and he was a master in the ruba'i form and couplets in his Pand-Nama or 'Book of Wisdom' are short shots of Wisdom. Here for the first time is a fine selection of his poems in the correct-rhyme structure with the beauty and meaning of his immortal poems. Introduction: Life & Times and Poetry and an essay on Sufi Poetry. Selected Bibliography, Glossary. Large Type 16pt. Large Format Paperback 8" x 10" 368 pages. COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION 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 of works in English 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, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Bulleh Shah, Shah Latif, Mansur Hallaj, Yunus Emre, Mu'in, Ibn Farid, Lalla Ded, Mahsati, Abu Said, Ghalib, Nazir, Iqbal, and many others, as well as poetry, fiction, plays, children's books, biographies and screenplays. amazon.com/author/smithpa

'ATTAR: SELECTED POETRYTranslation & Introduction by Paul SmithFarid ad-din 'Attar is seen with Sana'i and Rumi (who he met and influenced) as one of the three most important Sufi Poet–Masters of the 13th century. He composed over forty books mainly in the epic masnavi form of rhyming couplets, his most famous being The Book of God and The Conference of the Birds. He also composed many powerful mystical poems in the ghazal form and in the ruba'i form. Here for the first time is a fine selection of his poems in all three forms in the correct-rhyme structure with the beauty and meaning of his immortal poems. Introduction on his Life & Times and Poetry and an essay by Inayat Khan on Sufi Poetry. Appendix & Selected Bibliography & Glossary. 222 pages.COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION 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 works in English into Persian and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart. “Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz.” Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author). “I have never seen such a good translation and I would like to write a book in Farsi and introduce his Introduction to Iranians.” Mr B. Khorramshai, Academy of Philosophy, Tehran. “I was very impressed with the beauty of these books.” Dr. R.K. Barz. Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University.Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of over 80 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, Omar Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Mahsati and many others, as well as his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and screenplays.

Sufism (esoteric Islam) has, in the last half century, become a respected spiritual tradition no longer limited to Islam or the Middle-East. Any responsible work of translation of Sufi literature from original sources, therefore, is a step in helping further the appreciation of the Sufi heritage in spirituality. For anyone interested in Sufism in particular, or mystical understanding in general, Attar's works are indispensable. His influence on later giants, such as the mystic poet Jalaleddin Rumi, is well documented. Born in 1119, Attar lived in infamously chaotic times when petty warlords never relented, and famine and disease were the order of the day. He was killed in 1221 during the utter destruction of his hometown of Rey at the hands of invading Mongol hoards. Despite outward circumstances, the value of Attar's influence as a beacon of light during these times cannot be overestimated. He always seems to be focused on his belief in basic human goodness. Attar insisted that the individual should concentrate on refining his or her sensitivities in order to escape ignorance and become worthy of being called a "human being." Many generations since Attar have taken refuge in his writings to strengthen their faith to choose what cannot be seen, over all that can. His writings also include stories about the lives of mystics who lived before and around his time, and in this sense he provides one of the few sources about their biographies, though his is popular rather than academic information. Attar is mostly known in the West for his Biographies of the Saints, and for Conference of the Birds; but he has also produced a number of other masterpieces well-known among lay persons and Sufi practitioners in Iran, and in cultures influenced by the Persian language. Sweet Sorrows is the first compilation of Attar's lesser-known works in English. The translator, Vraje Abramian, has selected 350 short verses that cover a wide range of Attar's poetic moods-from somewhat satirical and humorous to tender and heartbreaking. Background information on Attar, as well as an essay on the translator's task make this a fascinating and authoritative book. An Appendix contains a large selection of one of Attar's classics, Moseebat-nameh (The Book of Travails).

Pand-nama (Book of Wisdom) Selections Farid al-din 'Attar Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Farid al-din 'Attar is one of the most famous spiritual poets of Persia. His works were the inspiration of Rumi and many other mystical poets. 'Attar, along with Sana'i were two of the greatest influences on Rumi in his Sufi views. Rumi has mentioned both of them with the highest esteem several times in his poetry. Rumi praises 'Attar as follows: "Attar roamed the seven cities of love... we are still just in one alley." 'Attar reached an age of well over 80 and died a violent death in the massacre which the Mongols inflicted on Nishapour in April 1221. The world depicted in 'Attar's works reflects the whole evolution of the Sufi movement. The starting point is the idea that the body-bound soul's awaited release and return to its source in the other world can be experienced during the present life in mystic union attainable through inward purification. In explaining his thoughts, 'Attar uses material not only from specifically Sufi sources but also from older ascetic legacies. Apart from his two famous epic masnavi poems 'The Conference of the Birds' and 'The Book of God' he composed a Divan full of powerful, enlightened ghazals and ruba'is. The Pand-nama is a small book of wise, moral advice in short poems in rhyming couplets that is practical and spiritual... over 135 here translated.. Introduction on his Life & Times & his Books & Selections from many of them. The correct rhyme has been kept in all translations. Selected Bibliography. Appendix One: Selections from the Pand-nama (Book of Wisdom) of Sadi (over 90 poems). Appendix Two: Rare Persian Manuscript of 'Attar's Pand-nama. Large Format Paperback 7" x 10" 245 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. 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, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Iqbal, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Ghalib, and many others, as well as his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies and a dozen screenplays. www.newhumanitybooks.com