ASIK VEYSEL The Blind, Last Great, Turkish Dervish Wandering Minstrel: Selected Poems/Songs

ASIK VEYSEL The Blind, Last Great, Turkish Dervish Wandering Minstrel. Selected Poems/Songs. Translation & Introduction Paul Smith. Veysel Satiroglu, (1894-1973) better known as Asik Veysel, was born in the Anatolian village of Sivriala. His peasant parents before his birth lost two daughters because of a smallpox epidemic. At the age of seven he got the virus and became blind. From this time on his life was full of misery. His only consolation was the saz (a long-necked lute, traditional instrument of the dervish musician-poets) which his father who liked Bektasi dervish songs, gave him. Asiks, wandering musicians, often visited their house and the boy would soon become one. Veysel took his first lessons from his father’s friend Asik Ala who told him about the great dervish poets Yunus Emre, Nasimi and others. With his devoted companion Kücük who also helped his singing, they wandered for years through the villages. His poems-songs, became known and loved by many. He educated himself with great patience and much pain. He was perhaps the last authentic wandering musician-poet of Turkey. He was truly conscious of his times and events in Turkey and the world. His birthplace is now a museum and he is still much-loved The correct rhyme structure has been achieved. Introduction on his Life, Times, Works, Turkish Language & Poetry and Dervish (Sufi) Poetry. 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. I am astonished.” Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran. “Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith.” Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator of many mystical works in English into Persian and knower of Hafiz’s Divan off by heart. “Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz.” Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author). 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, Sa’di, Nizami, Rumi, ‘Attar, Sana’i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Mu’in, Abu Nuwas, Ibn al-Farid, Seemab, Jigar, Lalla Ded, Hali, Baba Farid and many others, as well as poetry, fiction, plays, children’s books, biographies and a dozen screenplays. New Humanity Books amazon.com/author/smithpa Read more