This was my first time reading Hafez, and I already wish I could jump into more right away!

I’ve seen the translation is incorrect, and I don’t doubt that — at times there are intentional rhymes, which made me question how altered the poems were; also, “saki” seems to have been translated as “server,” which in my opinion is over-translating. Still, still, this tiny selection is so good, so effortless, so beautiful! (Please note that I’m biased here because all except for 3 in this selection are ghazals, and ghazals are among my favourite forms!) I’d even say Hafez might be the best introduction into Sufi poetry for how lyrical and simple these poems were.

While they are quite easy to understand, beware of the blurb! It‘s misleading at best, and the format of these mini Penguin books excludes any introductory/supplementary texts. I’d highly recommend doing a bit of research beforehand if you’re unfamiliar with Sufi mysticism and the symbols often used in poetry. 

This won’t take you longer than 10-15 minutes tops to read, and I believe everyone should 100% spare that time.