LOVING THE ONE Anthology of Sufi & Folk Strophe Poems of Persia, Arabia & the Indian Sub-Continent Translation & Introduction Paul Smith A Persian tarji-band consists of a series of strophes each containing a variable but equal, or nearly equal, number of couplets all in one rhyme... these stanzas being separated from each other by a series of isolated rhyming couplets that mark the end of each strophe. If the same couplet (or refrain) is repeated at the end of each band, or strophe, the poem is a tarji-band, or 'return-tie'. The mukhammas consists of verses of five lines. In the first verse, all of the lines rhyme. In the verses that follow, the first four lines rhyme with each other and the last line rhymes with the rhymes of the first verse. A close inspection of this form shows that it is also as with the ghazal, a spiral, and probably originated from the ghazal. There are other forms in Persian poetry similar to it, with six (musaddes) and seven lines (musebba) in each verse. In some ways a mukhammas is like an extended form of the ghazal, but is a totally rhymed poem and doesn't have the ghazal's freedom, where one can be spontaneous because of the lack of rhyme in the first line of each couplet after the first. The kafi contains a radif or refrain that begins the poem and ends it and is repeated between the rhyming verses in-between and reminds one of the mukhammas. Kafis are common in Punjabi Sufi poetry. Kan Wa-Kan is an Arabic poem in which each stanza has four lines in which the fourth has the sam end rhyme. It became popular in the 13th century for giving spiritual advice. The correct rhyme-structure & meaning has been achieved in all poems. Biographies & Bibliographies of each poet. A Short History of the Strophe Poem: THE POETS: Farrukh, Rumi, 'Iraqi, Obeyd Zakani, Hafiz, Jahan Khatun, Shah Ni'matu'llah, Shah Shuja, 'Aishah al-Ba'uniyah, Bedil, Rahman Baba, Bulleh Shah, Hatef, Nazir Akbarabadi, Qa'ani, Tahirih, Iqbal, Parvin, Large Format Paperback 7" x 10" 451 pages. COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION OF HAFIZ'S 'DIVAN'."It is not a joke... the English version of ALL the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat and of paramount importance.." Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran."Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator in English into Persian and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart. Paul Smith (b.1945) is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets from the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish and other languages... including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Baba Farid, Mu'in, Lalla Ded, Mahsati, Ghalib, Iqbal and many others and his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and a dozen screenplays. amazon.com/author/smithpa