The Subject Tonight is Love: 60 Wild and Sweet Poems

This was the 2nd collection of Daniel Ladinsky's translations of Hafiz that I read. As with "I Heard God Laughing," this one is gorgeous. Ladinsky translates Hafiz in a way that no one else manages to do, conveying his exuberance and outrageousness. What a place Hafiz can take you to, across time and culture, when he is translated as he deserves. This is another "must have" book.

It is rare to find a book of poetry-or any book- that lifts the spirits and touches the heart as deeply as this one. Daniel Ladinsky's translations of the Sufi poet Hafiz are a unique blend of contempoary images and Persisan motifs that evoke scenes that readers will recognize in their own lives. Hafiz, Iran's most treasured poet, is known for an uncanny ability to speak directly to the reader's concerns.His poems have the ability to console the heart throbbing with longing or aching after a few hard knocks.I would especially recommend it for those bouts of Seasonal Affective Disorder that afflict many of us this time of year. I carried this book around with me on the subway during an especially cold winter in New York City and it seemed to transmit a warm, tingly feeling, like a glass of good wine, that warded off the intrusion of depressing thoughts. One poem in particuar was helpful which said; Don't surrender your loneliness So quickly Let it cut more deep. Let it ferment and season you As few human Or even divine ingredients can Something missing in my heart tonight Has made my eyes so soft, My voice So tender, My need of God Absolutely Clear. Only a wise old master like Hafiz could give advice like that, in a few choise words that are the equilavent in confort to hours of professional counseling or several trips to the spa. His poetry gives us an appreciation of the wonderful gifts of the soul that we all possess, but rarely take the trouble to access. This book would be a wonderful gift for anyone and especially for youself!.

Hafiz... each piece falls like rain,like buttery light,like a gentle knowing laugh and like quiet gems.. jeez... as a writer I am dumbfounded by his infallable heart and purely penetrative selection of the word.... I'd surely like to share my prayer mat with him when those days come to me....do not pass go folks... read it by candle light or thrum of rain while your lover looks on... or the silent room embraces you... hafiz is a master.

this is one of the best collection of poems i have ever read. it helps to bring Hafiz's work to a wider audience.the best poem deals with ego and its annihilation. happy reading!

The wisdom of a disciple of a living Master rings through this awe-filled version of Hafiz. It's obvious that one who has experienced first hand the miracle of a Master/Disciple relationship can write such beauty. Is this Hafiz' experience or your own, Daniel? You have reminded those who seek the "highest love affair" of all...