Ladinsky admits he works from existing literal translations (like those by Henry Wilberforce Clarke) and then "prays" over them. He argues that the spirit of Hafiz is ecstatic, irreverent, and loving, and that a literal translation loses the magic.

For English speakers, the name Hafiz is almost synonymous with Daniel Ladinsky. Ladinsky is the translator primarily responsible for bringing Hafiz to the top of the bestseller lists in the West. His 1999 collection, The Gift: Poems by Hafiz , is the specific volume most seekers are looking for when they search for a PDF.

The search for is ultimately a search for connection. People want Hafiz’s radical, loving message in their pocket: “Even after all this time, the sun never says to the earth, ‘You owe me.’ Look what happens with a love like that. It lights the whole sky.”

If you are struggling to locate a legal PDF, or if you want to see the "real" Hafiz, consider these alternatives:

Unlike academic translations that aim for literal word-for-word accuracy, Ladinsky describes his process as "rendering" or "inspired re-interpretation." He takes the core essence of Hafiz’s Persian ghazals and transmutes them into contemporary, accessible, American free verse.

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