Eastern Poetry

A rich and varied collection of contemporary short stories, extracts from novels, and poetry that will go a long way toward informing the English-speaking world of the latest developments in Iranian literature. This sampling - or to use the Farsi term golchine, a bouquet - provides a window onto an important but sorely neglected segment of world culture. We hope it will also serve to awaken further interest in the work and in translations of Iranian novelists and poets.

“What I had thought of before as God, I met today in a human being.” Those were the words of the Persian mystic poet Rumi upon meeting the wild dervish Shams Tabriz. And out of their friendship bloomed many of Jelaluddin Rumi’s most inspired verses. On Just Being Here, the acclaimed poet...

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Rumi wrote that eight hundred years ago. People still whisper it to themselves in hospital waiting rooms, on park benches after arguments, at 2am when sleep won't come. His words keep finding the people who need them, the way a song finds you when you need it. If a line of his has ever stopped you mid-breath, then Rumi has already begun his work in you. This collection is where you go to hear the rest. Twenty hours. His complete major works.

The Narrow Road to the Interior and Hojoki are two of the best-loved works of their kind; famous for their beautiful, delicate verse and subtle insight into the human condition. It has been said of The Narrow Road that 'it was as if the very soul of Japan had itself written it'. It takes the form of a travel diary, and traces the poet's journey from Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to the northern interior.

In modern-day Persia, the 14th-century poet Hafiz remains the most treasured voice of his homeland—a place where his work outsells Rumi, and even the Koran. Yet only recently have Westerners come to know this wild Sufi mystic's astonishing verses on love and spiritual longing. Now, with Hafiz...

Czeslaw Milosz Explained: Exile, Moral Witness, Poetry of History, Totalitarianism, Faith and Doubt, Memory, Identity, and the Search for Meaning in a Fractured World is a powerful and deeply engaging exploration of one of the twentieth century’s most important literary and philosophical voices. This book brings Milosz's complex ideas to life, guiding readers through his experiences of war, exile, and intellectual resistance while revealing how his poetry and essays continue to speak to modern readers searching for truth and meaning. Spanning themes such as totalitarianism, moral ...

What if the life we long for isn’t elsewhere but rather right here, waiting to be discovered? Joshua Luke Smith believes the greatest lie facing our generation is that the life we long for lies beyond the life that we have. We so easily learn to disdain the inconveniences, interruptions and...

Hidden for a century from the English-speaking world, these poems now become available to international readers for the first time. Originally published in 1925, The Garden Left Behind is the first English translation of the poetry of George Vâlsan (1885–1935)—one of Romania's leading geographers, a member of the Romanian Academy, and a writer whose lyrical voice has long deserved to be discovered beyond the borders of his native country. This carefully prepared edition, translated by Octavian Cocoș, introduces international readers to a remarkable work that has remained largely ...

What if poetry were a magic act—and reality the illusion it refuses to preserve? In The Illusionist: Compulsory Acts, Romanian poet Doina Tudorovici enters a world where fathers speak from memory and death, angels wander the streets, ancient heroes grow old, fairy tales lose their heroes, and history becomes entangled with the private wounds of the body. Nothing here remains safely symbolic. A drowned dog, a paper kite, a village mill, Achilles, Ulysses, Ovid, Ophelia, Raskolnikov, a gray wolf, a hedgehog, and a ghost may all step into the poem—and once inside, they obey no familiar ...

One of the greatest Christian thinkers you've probably never heard of also happens to be one of the most beautiful. Long before theology was written as dense academic prose, Ephrem the Syrian taught the Christian faith through unforgettable hymns, vivid symbols, and breathtaking poetry. Known throughout history as the "Harp of the Holy Spirit," he transformed Scripture into songs of wonder, making profound truths accessible to ordinary believers while shaping Christian worship for centuries. If you've ever wanted to understand the roots of early Christianity, discover the beauty of Syriac ...

What if one of Christianity’s most powerful guides to mercy, repentance, and spiritual healing has been waiting for you for more than a thousand years? Saint Gregory of Narek was a tenth-century Armenian monk, poet, theologian, and mystic whose words transformed personal anguish into prayer. His masterpiece, the Book of Lamentations, speaks with astonishing honesty about guilt, suffering, fear, hope, and the soul’s longing to return to God. Now, Saint Gregory of Narek for Beginners makes his remarkable life and spiritual wisdom accessible to modern readers—without requiring any prior ...

Now available for the first time in ebook form. The vision of Laotzu, who saw the truth of the essential paradox in all things, who know that he governs best who governs least and that he knows most who never speaks, can still be of great help and interest to us today. His way of life was the way of poise, serenity, and complete assurance. His gentle warnings of the futility of egoistic struggle explain much of the quiet strength and perspective the East has and the West needs. Many have attempted to bring the reflections of Laotzu to the Western world. But Witter Bynner’s version is ...

A Tale of Passion, Poetry, and Rebellion in 10th-Century Persia In the grand palace of Balkh, where power is absolute and tradition unyielding, Rabia bint Ka‘b—a noblewoman of striking intellect and beauty—dares to dream beyond the gilded cage of her birth. A gifted poetess, she weaves verses of love and longing, secretly pouring her heart onto parchment. But when her heart finds its true muse in Baktash, a captured Turkish warrior, their love becomes a crime punishable by death. Baktash, once a slave in the palace, rises to power as a commander, his unwavering spirit earning the ...

Learn how the life of this Lebanese immigrant has positioned him to artistically capture the hearts, minds, and souls of readers for generations, making him one of the world’s best-selling poets. In the collected works of poetry, poet, author, artist, and philosopher, Kahlil Gibran, shares his spiritual and moral views of life, purpose, love, and pain.

It is customary, when referring to the life and work of a poet, to speak in academic terms. But with Jalal-ud-Din Rumi, this custom does not apply. His direct and indirect influence on both our spiritual lives and world literature over the past seven centuries has been immeasurable. Not only...

The New York Times Best Seller For the first time ever, 75 beloved songs from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and The Children's Corner are collected in this charming treasury, sure to be cherished by generations of children as well as the millions of adults who grew up with Mister Rogers. It’s...

A paperback original A vibrant collection of the lasting, essential work of the Nobel Prize–winning poet Wislawa Szymborska Wislawa Szymborska’s work is known for its precision, cleverness, deceptive simplicity, and the way the poet plays out domestic and human concerns against the tapestry...

The shining light of our salvation began with one of the darkest moments in a garden... The Shadow of Gethsemane is a series of poems celebrating the sacrifice Jesus made when He gave His life for ours. In this short book, you will experience an emotional and powerful telling of the Easter story that will help you see it as never before. See the Easter experience from a dozen different points of view, imagine what it must have felt like for those responsible for burying our Lord, and feel the rush of excitement as Jesus proves once and for all that death cannot hold him! Get The Shadow of ...

A collection of poems by Kourosh Beigpour. The audiobook is published by H&S Media and is in the Persian language. Narrated by its poet. Music by Farzad Golpaygani.

An anthology of verse by women poets writing in Persian, most of whom have never been translated into English before, from acclaimed scholar and translator Dick Davis. The Mirror of My Heart is a unique and captivating collection of eighty-three Persian women poets, many of whom wrote...