Hafiz

Hafiz (1325?-1389?), Persian poet, born in Shīrāz (now in Iran) into a poor family. Originally named Mohammed Shams od-Din, he gained the respectful title Hafiz, meaning “one who has memorized the Qur'an (Koran),” as a teacher of the Qur'an. He was a member of the order of Sufi mystics and also, at times, a court poet. His poems on one level celebrate the pleasures of drinking, hunting, and love at the court of Shīrāz. On a deeper level, according to some scholars, they reflect his consuming devotion as a Sufi to union with the divine. They also satirize hypocritical Muslim religious leaders.

Hafiz's work, collected under the title of Divan (trans. 1891), contains more than 500 poems, most of them in the form of a ghazal, a short traditional Persian form that he perfected. Each consists of up to 15 highly structured rhyming couplets dealing with one subject. The language is simple, lyrical, and heartfelt. Hafiz is greatly admired both in Iran and, in translation, in the West. Especially appealing are his love for the common person and his relation of daily life to the search of humanity for the eternal.