BORROWED WARE: Medieval Persian Epigrams

Whatever these short and witty epigrams sound like in their original language-which is included here for those who can read such calligraphy{-they are delightful as re-created in English by Davis, a poet and professor of Persian: All drawn from the classic period of Persian poetry (the 10th through 16th centuries), these public and formal poems--whether capturing a moment's mood or praising a courtier--come alive in Davis's scrupulous translations, invigorated with a user-friendly scholarly apparatus.