A Great Horseman

My current Teacher, my favorite poet, is Hafiz, as translated by Daniel Ladinsky in The Gift.
One of my favorites:



      You could become a great horseman
      And help to free yourself and this world
      But only if you and Prayer become sweet Lovers.

     It is a naive man who thinks we are not engaged in a firece battle
     Fro I see and hear brave foot solders all around me going mad,
     Falling to the ground in excruciating pain.

    You could become a victorious horseman,
    And carry your heart through this world like a life giving sun,
    But only if you and God become sweet lovers.

Or maybe it is Daniel who is the poet I am loving, as the poems in The Gift may not have been by Hafiz at all, according to  Murat Nemet-Nejat, who says there is no text by Hafiz that relates to the poetry Daniel calls translations.  Perhaps Daniel was "channeling" Hafiz? No matter. I find the poems inspirational. I long to do some paintings inspired by the poetry, but nothing has come to me yet.