The earliest turkish verses, dating from the sixth century A.D., were love lyrics. Since then, love has dominated the Turks’ poetic modes and moods—pre-Islamic, Ottoman, classical, folk, modern. This collection covers love lyrics from all periods of Turkish poetry. It is the first anthology of its kind in English. The translations, faithful to the originals, possess a special freshness in style and sensibility. Here are lyrics from pre-Islamic Central Asia, passages from epics, mystical ecstasies of such eminent thirteenth-century figures as Rumi and Yunus Emre, classical poems of the Ottoman Empire (including Süleyman the Magnificent and women court poets), lilting folk poems, and the work of the legendary communist Nazim Hikmet (who is arguably Turkey’s most famous poet internationally), and the greatest living Turkish poet, Fazil Hüsnü Daglarca. The verses in this collection are true to the Turkish spirit as well as universal in their appeal. They show how Turks praise and satirize love, how they see it as a poetic experience. Poetry was for many centuries the premier Turkish genre and love its predominant theme. Some of the best expressions produced by Turkish poets over a period of fifteen centuries can be found in this volume.

The earliest turkish verses, dating from the sixth century A.D., were love lyrics. Since then, love has dominated the Turks’ poetic modes and moods—pre-Islamic, Ottoman, classical, folk, modern. This collection covers love lyrics from all periods of Turkish poetry. It is the first anthology of its kind in English. The translations, faithful to the originals, possess a special freshness in style and sensibility. Here are lyrics from pre-Islamic Central Asia, passages from epics, mystical ecstasies of such eminent thirteenth-century figures as Rumi and Yunus Emre, classical poems of the Ottoman Empire (including Süleyman the Magnificent and women court poets), lilting folk poems, and the work of the legendary communist Nazim Hikmet (who is arguably Turkey’s most famous poet internationally), and the greatest living Turkish poet, Fazil Hüsnü Daglarca. The verses in this collection are true to the Turkish spirit as well as universal in their appeal. They show how Turks praise and satirize love, how they see it as a poetic experience. Poetry was for many centuries the premier Turkish genre and love its predominant theme. Some of the best expressions produced by Turkish poets over a period of fifteen centuries can be found in this volume.

Though the territorial world we live in is pretty and glamorizing, it also lacks anything real other than chagrin, monotony and general annoyance. Over centuries and trans-continentally, the deprived and defenestrated human beings have exalted, glorified and revered explosive sexuality, longing and desire in many forms. In the pre-technological era sans automation and mechanics, spiritual poetry and erotic verses has remained two of the most popular forms of devotion to the beloved. Eroticism and Mysticism in love often appears confusingly entangled and inextricable. It often becomes hard to discern whether there is erotic love camouflaged under the illusion of mysticism, or there is mystical spiritual love tacitly masquerading as erotic proclivity. In spite of sensual badgering and carnal victimization, the concupiscent poets and poeticules dared to write candidly and canonize their sybaritic love for the beloved. Many of them vanished, engulfed and eclipsed into their beloved. Many of them dispersed, subsumed and merged subconsciously with their demiurge. What remains back is their enthralling and intrepid chronicle of love and longing, desire and affection. Presented in this book are a compendium of translated verses and songs of love & devotion to the “Beloved & the Lover” - across the Indian Heartlands and Persian Frontiers. You will discover that your longings are universal longings, you are not alone.

This 1896 volume offers the British Museum curator's scholarly examination of London's eighteenth-century pleasure gardens.