A teacher of life and living

Hafiz's poems     

     The set of poems written by the Persian poet, Hafiz, undoubtedly made an impression on me. Through his poems he appreciates the beauty and the luxury of life. With correct insight, he explores the feelings and reasons associated with every level of love. Even though they are supposed to be spiritual or religious, I could relate to them easily. Maybe because the metaphors Hafiz uses are intentionally created for them to be interpreted differently, people consider Hafiz’s poems as a cherished wisdom from the Friend. Such ambiguities and different meanings make comprehending the metaphors difficult and thus the translating them a demanding task.  Hafiz also incorporates elements of Suffism that are complex and cause a lot of difficulties in the interpretation of his language. 

Translated by Daniel Lavdinsky in a very profound way, creates the sense of Hafiz’s healing words sounding very contemporary. I find it fascinating how Hafiz’s poems can be broken down into lines and used separately as guides for life and living.

Let's toast
Every rung we've climbed on Evolution's ladder.
Whisper, "I love you! I love you!"
To the whole mad world

The movie vs. The novel

Love Story by Erich Segal and Love Story directed by Arthur Hiller

     In the late 1960s, Erich Segal wrote a script for a romantic story and failed to sell it. Upon his literary agent’s advice, he turned the script into a novel which become a sensation and will become a box office hit when it was filmed later.  Love Story has a cinematic touch in it.  Both in the movie and the novel the author fast establishes the characters, creates emotional situations, and move from one scene to another without any wait.  Witty dialogues and happy moments got a high boost with this pacing and no wonder the readers get a filmy feel throughout. However, the filmy feeling you get through reading the novel creates a movie of your own in your head, while the real movie in a way destroys your imagination. I like the novel a million times more than the movie. Even though the movie's theme seemed annoying to us, the romantic touch of the melody can be clearly felt. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTSc4hBdCd0).

I tragically love you

Love Story by Erich Segal

         Love Story by Erich Segal is a timeless story of tragic love. Oliver is a child of privilege, the son of a family of importance dating back many generations. Jennifer is the only child of a widowed baker, as opposite from Oliver as one person can be. However, their union is one of strength and volatility that sweeps them both up in an uncontrolled wave, their love surviving every obstacle except one, death. Love Story is the Romeo and Juliet of the twentieth century. The strength of Love Story is its simplicity in its depth and its down to earth characters.  Emotions and wonderful situations, witty dialogues and heartfelt situations make Love Story unique, special, and excellent. No wonder the book got over 21 million copies sold already. Jenny Cavilleri, a working class beauty meets with Oliver Barrett IV, an over rich jock with a rebellious attitude.   Opposite in appearance (they have a similar tempo and attitude), Oliver and Jenny immediately got attracted to each other. Capable of outperforming each other, the youngsters fall in love and the readers immediately become part of this love story.  Taking the readers instantly to the funny side of it, reminding the tragedy, is not an easy task; and one who manages to do that must be an extraordinary writer. The novel is as funny as it is a tragedy; the author keeps the reader laugh throughout but never forgets to remind that there is tragedy in it.  Intelligent and teasing, Jenny and even Oliver challenge our ability to understand the fun behind it. When we realize the fun in it we also get reminded of the sad reality or truth in it as well. The novel has been an inspiration for many stories & movies.  Directly or indirectly the book influenced many films other than its original makes. I would definitely say that this book is made for anyone who is in love, was in love, or wants to be in love.