Hafez
'''Khwajeh Shams al-Din Muhammad Hafez-e Shirazi''' (also spelled Hafiz) (خواجه شمسالدین محمد حافظ شیرازی in Persian) was an Iranian mystic and poet. He was born sometime between the years 1310-1325 in Shiraz, Iran, of father Baha-ud-Din. Baha-ud-Din was a coal merchant. He died when Hafez was a child, leaving him and his mother with much debt. Very little credible information is know about Hafiz's life, particularly its early part - there is a great deal of more or less mythical anecdote. It is said that, by listening to his father's recitations, Hafez had accomplished the task of memorizing the Holy Qur'an at an early age. At the same time Hafez is said to have memorized the works of Mevlana (Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi), Sa'di, Attar, and Nezami. According to one tradition, before meeting Attar, Hafez had been working in a local bakery. Hafez delivered bread to a wealthy quarter of the town where he saw Shakh-e Nabat, allegedly a woman of incredible beauty, to whom some of his poems are addressed. Later, at the age of 21 he met with Attar of Shiraz, a somewhat disreputable scholar, and became his disciple. After becoming a poet in the court of Abu Ishak, he gained much fame and influence in his hometown. Hafez gained a position as teacher of Qur'anic studies - a respectable occupation. In his early 30's (33) Mubariz Muzaffar captured Shiraz and ousted Hafez from his position. No longer writing of spiritual romanticism, Hafez began writing protest poems which he received little recognition for. Hafez regained his position after Shah Shuja took his father Mubariz Muzaffar as prisoner. Not before long, Hafez was forced into self-imposed exile by the same individual who re-instated his position. Hafez fled from Shiraz to Isfahan for his own safety. At the age of 52 Hafez once again regained his position and received a personal invitation from Shah Shuja, who pleaded with him to return. At age 60 he began a 40 day and night vigil by sitting in a circle which he had drawn for himself. On the 40th day he once again met with Attar on what is known to be their 40th anniversary and was offered a cup of wine. It was there where he is said to have attained Cosmic Consciousness. Hafez died at the age of 69. His tomb is located in the Musalla Gardens of Shiraz (referred to as Hafezieh). There is no definitive version of his collected works; editions vary from 573 to 994 poems. His lyrical poems, ghazals, are noted for their beauty and bring to fruition the erotic, mystical, and early Sufist themes that had long pervaded Persian poetry. Widely acclaimed in his own day, he greatly influenced subsequent Persian poets, and left his mark on such important Western writers as Goethe. Few English translations of Hafiz have been truly successful. Many Western Arabist scholars have claimed that his translators and transcribers have deliberately falsified the gender of the individuals Hafez addresses in his works. See also: Persian literature ------------------ Hafiz or Hafez (حافظ in Arabic) is also a term used by Muslims for people who have completely memorised the Qur'an. Category:Iranian poets