Joy: ” … I am happy even before I have a reason …” ~ Hafiz
“… May these poems help reveal the Truth Of God’s Divine Playfulness and Light And His Sublime Intimacy with us …” indeed, Daniel Ladinsky’s wish aptly captures the profound gift of Hafiz poems.
Daniel’s wish is the closing paragraph from the chapter titled: Releasing the Spirit of Hafiz, which serves as the “Introduction” of his book, I Heard God Laughing: Poems of Love and Joy (see full attribution below) … he opens each chapter with a brief preamble on it’s “theme” along with an excerpted quote from one of the poems within that chapter. Here’s what Daniel says about the chapter God’s Laughter:
“… Hafiz tells us that the Beloved’s nature is pure Joy. The closer we come to Him, the more we are able to hear and feel God’s Laughter. The rhythm of His Laughter is the music of the dance of life. That music is the essence of Love, and it is the radiant core of every song of Hafiz.
“I am happy even before I have a reason.” ~ Hafiz.
So, here’s Hafiz, through Daniel, on this “joy” …
Tripping Over Joy
What is the difference
Between your experience of Existence
And that of a saint?
The saint knows
That the spiritual path
Is a sublime chess game with God
And that the Beloved
Has just made such a Fantastic Move
That the saint is now continually
Tripping over Joy
And bursting out in Laughter
And saying, “I Surrender!”
Whereas, my dear,
I am afraid you still think
You have a thousand serious moves.
~ Hafiz
And in another poem from the same book, Hafiz, through Daniel, reminds us of … one of the well known sources of this “joy” …
Silence
A day of Silence
Can be a pilgrimage in itself.
A day of Silence
Can help you listen
To the Soul play
Its marvelous lute and drum.
Is not most talking
A crazed defense of a crumbling fort?
I thought we came here
To surrender in Silence,
To yield to Light and Happiness,
To Dance within
In celebration of Love’s Victory!
~ Hafiz
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Here’s Daniel, on the matter of “translations vs renderings” and … on Hafiz … excerpted from the introduction of I Heard God Laughing:
Ecstatic poetry by its very nature seems to have a draw for many, especially those who are on the self discovery journey. The two pillars of such poetry – Rumi or Hafiz – are of Persian descent … so the door to their gifts, particularly for the west, has largely depended on the translators. Rumi’s popularity, and accessibility, in the western, English speaking world, is largely due to Coleman Barks. Daniel Ladinsky holds a similar distinction for Hafiz.
As one explores the translations, inevitably, the matter of translation vs rendering comes up. So, … to learn more about Daniel’s views on the matter of translation vs rendering … and his journey of “finding” Hafiz, please read one of our previous posts: Awake Awhile – Hafiz by Ladinsky … and click here for a deeper exploration of all our Hafiz related posts.
And, for all you Rumi lovers, click here for all of our Rumi posts.
Opening Quote and Hafiz’s poems: I Heard God Laughing: Poems of Hope and Joy, by Hafiz (Author), Daniel Ladinsky (Translator).
Images (edited and logo added): Featured and 1) Happiness by gravityimaging, 2) Beautiful winter landscape with sunset fiery sky and frozen lake. Composition of nature by ES0lex, 3) Sunset and reflections at Nash Point on The Welsh Heritage Coast, South Wales, UK, which features a ‘Welsh Sphinx’ like cliff face by Canonfodder. All Purchased from depositphotos for use only on our website/social channels (these images are not permitted to be shared separate from this post).
