A Critical Reading of Titles of Hafiz’s Ghazals, Translated by Robert Bly and Leonard Lewisohn

Although Hafiz’s poetry lacks any title, the American translators, Robert Bly, and Leonard Lewisohn have designated an individual title for each translated poem of Hafiz. The given titles are derived mostly from the poems’ verses. These titles reflect the translators' attitudes toward Hafiz, imposing their interpretations on readers and limiting the poem's semantic scope. The author attempts to provide a concise and analytical examination of the selected titles in order to elucidate the criteria upon which they were chosen. The author concludes by asserting that the selected titles lead readers to mystical and didactic interpretations of Hafiz's poetry.

Keywords:

Translation Studies , Hafiz , Leonard Lewisohn , Robert Bly