Luminous Lyric

Luminous Lyric gathers the luminous sayings of the Prophet of Islam, the immaculate Imams, the great saints of the faith, and the transmitters of eternal truth, set forth in the eloquent cadences of literary Arabic, the lyrical grace of Persian, and the clarity of English. Two guiding intentions shaped this work. The first was to cull, with the utmost care, those fragments of wisdom most likely to stir the contemplative mind and delight the ear attuned to aphoristic speech. From the vast treasury of Islamic homily, the compiler has gathered whatever seemed most melodious and soul-stirring to his own sensibilities, words that ring with beauty and resound with meaning. The second aim was to render these chosen
passages into English and Persian translations, whether in measured prose or in verse, that might serve not only as a practical ground for those seeking to master the art and craft of translation, but also as an open door through which every English-speaking reader may pass into the profound and spirit-quickening depths of these timeless teachings.