SHABISTARI: LIFE & POEMS Translation & Introduction Paul Smith. The Rose Garden of Mystery was composed as a 1000 couplet long masnavi poem in the form of questions and answers on spiritual matters by Mahmud Shabistari of Tabriz in 1317 at the request of his Spiritual Master. Since then it has been regarded as one of the finest books on Sufism. E.G. Browne in his classic work, 'History of Persian Literature' calls this book "On the whole, one of the best manuals of Sufi theosophy that exists." Rev. John A. Subhan in his 'Sufism, Its Saints and Shrines' states, "We know little about the life of the author... But his work is important out of all comparison with the importance of the author because it is a compendium of Sufi terminology in the form of question and answer." The correct rhyme-structure has been kept in this complete, modern translation and the beauty and meaning of this beautiful, mystical, poem. Pages 90. Introduction to Sufi Poets Series Life & Poems of the following Sufi poets, Translations & Introductions: Paul Smith AMIR KHUSRAU, ANSARI, ANVARI, AL-MA'ARRI, 'ATTAR, ABU SA'ID, AUHAD UD-DIN, BABA FARID, BABA AZFAL, BABA TAHIR, BEDIL, BULLEH SHAH, DARA SHIKOH, GHALIB, HAFIZ, IBN 'ARABI, IBN YAMIN, IBN AL-FARID, IQBAL, 'IRAQI, JAHAN KHATUN, JAMI, KAMAL AD-DIN, KABIR, KHAQANI, KHAYYAM, LALLA DED, MAKHFI, MANSUR HALLAJ, MU'IN UD-DIN CHISHTI, NAZIR AKBARABADI, NESIMI, NIZAMI, OBEYD ZAKANI, RAHMAN BABA, RUMI, SANA'I, SADI, SARMAD, SHABISTARI, SHAH LATIF, SHAH NI'MAT'ULLAH, SULTAN BAHU, YUNUS EMRE, EARLY ARABIC SUFI POETS, EARLY PERSIAN SUFI POETS, URDU SUFI POETS, TURKISH SUFI POETS, AFGHAN SUFI POETS 90 pages each. Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of over 150 books of Sufi poets of the Persian and other languages of Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Rahman Baba, Shah Latif, Bedil, Ansari, and many others, as well as poetry, fiction, plays, biographies and twelve screenplays. New Humanity Books amazon.com/author/smithpa