I Heard God Laughing: Poems of Hope and Joy

What my heart feels when I view a sunset or a baby giggling may differ markedly from what another feels or interprets. Ladinsky's work may leave some cold...which is okay as we all view life through self-adopted filters. But if you startled by an occasional or surprising glimpse of a numinous and swirling piece of the Divine and an unexpected and overwhelming sense of love and compassion, you'll find these poems a homecoming. The 'debate' over the 'accuracy' of Ladinsky's translation of Hafiz is distracting and, in fact, quite irrelevant. It doesn't matter if you dance with Ladinsky or Hafiz or Rabia or Mirabai...the poetry is ecstatic and the dance exquisite.

This is a book of quite short poems that show great playfulness and wisdom. They are neither nieve or cynical but positive without shying away from the darker side of nature. Also a good translation, the poems flows nicely.

I Heard God Laughing, a wonderful book, who could imagine Hafiz from the l4th century would touch us all. The poems can be read over and over and I find I fall deeper and deeper into them, their beauty and love come through in Landinsky's translations. I highly recommend the books, also recommend " The Subject Tonight is Love", and "Love Poems from God" all by Landinsky. I can't say enough about the beauty of his translations, a masterful job he has done. For anyone wanting to go deeper into relationship with yourself, a partner, etc, turn off the tv, and open one of Landinsky's books and read to your Beloved........it's very sweet, and afterall, isn't that why we are here, to be in relationship and dialogue with each other.

On its surface this collection of simple wisdom would appear almost New-Agey in terms of its contents. The book is essentially just a series of messages sent from a "seeker" to a loved one. Yet there is much that lies beneath the surface and that is very, very genuine at play here. It is in fact the perfect antidote to the sort of fluff that passes for spiritual writing these days. These are messages addressed to the "real" selves that all of us harbour, to the godhead that dwells inside us. Divine light shines through the pages of this book. Forget the self help books for once and allow your mind and spirit to drink in the celestial essence that Hafiz, et al impart. For a real journey of the spirit, take this book along with you to someplace peaceful and quiet and let yourself travel. BEK

This work is a glistening gem of a book. Simple, clean, multifaceted, and very very deep at the same time. I have many Persian friends who are familiar with the original poetry and are astonished by the beauty of these renderings. These are not literal translations.....they are inner reflections. They succeed perfectly at reflecting the inner light of Hafiz in a unique way that refreshes one's heart. The imagery and language is perfect for this time. Deep in my heart I am convinced that Hafiz, Rumi, Kabir, Attar, and any other poet and lover of God would applaud.