POET-SAINTS OF MAHARASHTRA: SELECTED POEMS Translations & Introductions Paul Smith From the 13th to the 17th century the state of Maharashtra in India gave birth to a number of great Poet-Saints whose lives and poetry is loved today as much as it was when they lived their lives of selfless devotion and praise of the Divine Beloved. They composed their poems in slokas and abhangs that are here in the correct form and meaning, with biographies and bibliographies. Janabai (1263-1350) was born to a couple from the lowest caste. She worked as a maidservant for the father of the Poet-Saint Namdev who she cared for throughout her life. Her poetry is replete with her love for God. Namdev (1270-1350) was born in Narasi-Bamani. Soon his family moved to Pandharpur where the temple of Lord Vithoba (Krishna as a boy) is located. He spent most his life there. He composed 2500 abhangs in Marathi. Dnyaneshwar (1275-1296) emerged as one the first original Poet-Saints to write in Marathi. He liberated 'divine knowledge' locked in Sanskrit to bring it into Marathi. At the age of 21 he entered into Sanjeevan Samadhi at Alandi. Mukta Bai (b.1279) was the younger sister of Dnyaneshwar but is a profound Poet-Saint in her own right. She wrote forty-one abhangs. Eknath (1533-1599) was a saint, scholar and poet. He is seen as a bridge between Dnyaneshwar and Namdev and Tukaram and Ramdas. Tukaram (1608-1654) was a prominent Poet-Saint during the Bhakti movement in India and is still greatly loved. Ramdas (1627-1682) was a Marathi Poet-Saint and a devotee of Lord Rama. Bahina Bai (1628-1700) was a disciple of Tukaram. Apart from her unique autobiography in verse she composed abhangs that deal with various subjects. Pages 198. COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION OF HAFIZ'S 'DIVAN'. "It is not a joke... the English version of ALL the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat and of paramount importance. I am astonished. " Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran. "Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator from English into Persian, knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart. Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of over 130 books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages... including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Mu'in, Amir Khusrau, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Omar Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Mahsati, Lalla Ded, Bulleh Shah, Ghalib, Iqbal and many others, as well as his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and a dozen screenplays.