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by Paul Smith (Translator), Bulleh Shah (Author)
BULLEH SHAH: PUNJABI SUFI POET Selected Poems (Large Print & Large Format Edition) Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Bulleh Shah (1680-1758) was a Sufi poet who composed in Punjabi and settled in Kasur, now in Pakistan. His Spiritual Master was Shah Inayat. The poetic form Bulleh Shah is called the Kafi, a style of Punjabi poetry used not only by the Sufis of Sindh and Punjab, but also by Sikh gurus. His poetry and philosophy strongly criticizes the Islamic religious orthodoxy of his day. His time was marked with communal strife between Muslims and Sikhs. But in that age Bulleh Shah was a beacon of hope and peace for the citizens of the Punjab. Several of his songs or kafis are still regarded as an integral part of the traditional repertoire of qawwali, the musical genre that represents the devotional music of the Sufis. Here is also a large selection of his dohas, single couplet rhyming poems. Introduction on his Life, Times & Poems & Influence and on Sufis & Dervishes: Their Art & Use of Poetry, Selected Bibliography. The correct rhyme-structure has been kept as well as the beauty and meaning of these powerful, spiritual poems. Large Print (18pt), Large Format (8" x 10") Edition. 198 pages. Paul Smith (b. 1945) is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages, including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Jahan Khatun, Iqbal, Ghalib, Seemab, Jigar, Urfi and many others, as well as his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and a dozen screenplays.
