THE GREEN SEA OF HEAVEN

Gray and Anvar translate 80 poems by the 14th-century Persian poet Háfiz.

These ghazals—examples of a style of lyric poem that originated in Arabic—are printed in Persian and English and explore themes of love and Sufi mysticism. Early on, the poet laments a separation from the divine and expresses a longing for spiritual union: “My heart is tired of the cloister and the hypocrite’s cloak. / Where is the monastery of the Magi? Where is pure wine?” Upon merging with the divine once again, the speaker finds fulfillment: “The friend is with me. Why would I look further? / Intimacy with that soul-companion is enough for me.” This devotion is shown to be profound and all-consuming: “A heart-wound from you is better than the salve of another. / Poison from you is better than the antidote of another.” The poet offers readers moments of wisdom about gratitude and living in the moment in lines such as “Now, while you can, revel under the dome of heaven.” At the end of the book, Hafiz addresses the “ignorant one,” promising that “If the light of the love for truth shines on your heart and soul, / by God, you will become lovelier than the sun in heaven.” Overall, these poems will resonate with anyone who’s experienced heartsickness or spiritual longing. Avid poetry readers will appreciate the craft of the complicated couplets and refrains of the ghazal form and the intricacy of the language. However, others may be frustrated by the lack of narrative structure and may get lost in lines such as “What link do righteousness and piety have to the rend’s way? / There is the sound of preaching, here is the melody of the rebab.” Also, some may find the poet’s disdainful tone off-putting at times: “O lord, put them on their old asses, the nouveaux-riches / who flaunt their mules and Turkish slaves.” Certain images, such as wine, become redundant, as do Háfiz’s self-referential lines.

A challenging collection of mystical love poetry that will appeal most to poetic scholars.