Hafez Divination Cards
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For generations, Iranians have turned to the poetry of Hafez for guidance and inspiration. This bilingual card deck and interpretation booklet are designed to share that tradition with a wider audience, especially Persians living outside Iran or anyone who loves poetry and Persian culture.
Highlighting Hafez’s philosophy of love, freedom, and the pursuit of inner truth, these cards, with both the original Persian and English translations, stay true to Hafez’s spirit while attempting to make the poet’s wisdom more accessible.
Whether you are seeking new insights or simply wanting to connect with this beautiful tradition, this deck offers a way to bring Hafez’s poetry into your gatherings and daily life.
What is in the box:
There are 100 top of the line cards with front, side and back gold-foil stamping, each with a couplet in Persian and corresponding English translation.
A 100-page soft cover premium paper booklet.
“O seeker of the Faal (divination), heed this call” - The English guidebook gives you a starting point for contemplating the message.It all comes in a hard magnetic latch box, inspired by the look and feel of early medieval calligraphic folios.
Where these cards and guidebook came from:
This project was born out of a gathering held two years ago, where a diverse group of Iranians and non-Iranians came together to engage in the tradition of divination through the poetry of Hafez. During the event, it became clear that spontaneous translations from Persian to English often failed to capture the depth, nuance, and beauty of the original verse. Additionally, most Hafez-themed cards and translations available in the U.S. market are inauthentic, often misattributed to Hafez or bearing little to no resemblance to the actual work of the Persian poet Hafez.
So our team created these bilingual cards to respectfully help share Hafez's wisdom with a wider group.
About Hafez (also spelled Hafiz):
Mohammad Shams al-Din Shirazi (c. 1315-1390) is one of the most celebrated poets in Persian literature, known for his masterful ghazals (a type of poem) that blend themes of love, divinity, and human longing.
Born in Shiraz, he earned the title “Hafez” for memorizing the Qur’an, a feat that deeply shaped the spiritual and symbolic layer of his poetry.
Renowned for critiquiing hypocrisy and celebrating joy, nature, and wine as paths to the divine, Hafez’s Divan, or collection, has become a timeliness tradition for underlining life’s celebrations and struggles.
Translations:
Translating Hafez into English is no simple task. His poetry is a delicate interplay of mysticism, romance, and cultural and linguistic nuance. It is layered with double meanings and metaphors that shift depending on the reader’s perspective. Much of the beauty lies in this complexity, which resists direct translation.
This project owes its existence to the tireless work of Dr. Wally Shellenberger, whose deep connection to Hafez began during his years living in Iran. Immersing himself in Persian culture and language, he fell in love with the intricacies of Hafez’s poetry and dedicated himself to its translation. Wally generously suggested 100 verses for this project, drawing from his favorite Hafez couplets and his accompanying translations.
The Artwork:
When creating this product, we wanted to make something that could have been created during Hafez’s time. The cards were inspired by a late 15th-century manuscript, ‘Anthology of Poetry’ by Sultan Ali Mashhadi. Its delicate black floral designs on pink, aged paper, accented with dazzling gold and silver, inspired the dominant visual theme of this book.
The box design is modeled after a Hafez manuscript held at Harvard Library, whose cover featured a unique opening mechanism. This product combines aesthetics from these sources and other classic designs to create a box that balances historical authenticity with modern functionality.
Weight and Dimensions:
Note that the box may be larger than it appears in the photos.
8×5×2 inches (20×13×6 cm)
Weight: 1 lbs
Free U.S. Shipping
For generations, Iranians have turned to the poetry of Hafez for guidance and inspiration. This bilingual card deck and interpretation booklet are designed to share that tradition with a wider audience, especially Persians living outside Iran or anyone who loves poetry and Persian culture.
Highlighting Hafez’s philosophy of love, freedom, and the pursuit of inner truth, these cards, with both the original Persian and English translations, stay true to Hafez’s spirit while attempting to make the poet’s wisdom more accessible.
Whether you are seeking new insights or simply wanting to connect with this beautiful tradition, this deck offers a way to bring Hafez’s poetry into your gatherings and daily life.
What is in the box:
There are 100 top of the line cards with front, side and back gold-foil stamping, each with a couplet in Persian and corresponding English translation.
A 100-page soft cover premium paper booklet.
“O seeker of the Faal (divination), heed this call” - The English guidebook gives you a starting point for contemplating the message.It all comes in a hard magnetic latch box, inspired by the look and feel of early medieval calligraphic folios.
Where these cards and guidebook came from:
This project was born out of a gathering held two years ago, where a diverse group of Iranians and non-Iranians came together to engage in the tradition of divination through the poetry of Hafez. During the event, it became clear that spontaneous translations from Persian to English often failed to capture the depth, nuance, and beauty of the original verse. Additionally, most Hafez-themed cards and translations available in the U.S. market are inauthentic, often misattributed to Hafez or bearing little to no resemblance to the actual work of the Persian poet Hafez.
So our team created these bilingual cards to respectfully help share Hafez's wisdom with a wider group.
About Hafez (also spelled Hafiz):
Mohammad Shams al-Din Shirazi (c. 1315-1390) is one of the most celebrated poets in Persian literature, known for his masterful ghazals (a type of poem) that blend themes of love, divinity, and human longing.
Born in Shiraz, he earned the title “Hafez” for memorizing the Qur’an, a feat that deeply shaped the spiritual and symbolic layer of his poetry.
Renowned for critiquiing hypocrisy and celebrating joy, nature, and wine as paths to the divine, Hafez’s Divan, or collection, has become a timeliness tradition for underlining life’s celebrations and struggles.
Translations:
Translating Hafez into English is no simple task. His poetry is a delicate interplay of mysticism, romance, and cultural and linguistic nuance. It is layered with double meanings and metaphors that shift depending on the reader’s perspective. Much of the beauty lies in this complexity, which resists direct translation.
This project owes its existence to the tireless work of Dr. Wally Shellenberger, whose deep connection to Hafez began during his years living in Iran. Immersing himself in Persian culture and language, he fell in love with the intricacies of Hafez’s poetry and dedicated himself to its translation. Wally generously suggested 100 verses for this project, drawing from his favorite Hafez couplets and his accompanying translations.
The Artwork:
When creating this product, we wanted to make something that could have been created during Hafez’s time. The cards were inspired by a late 15th-century manuscript, ‘Anthology of Poetry’ by Sultan Ali Mashhadi. Its delicate black floral designs on pink, aged paper, accented with dazzling gold and silver, inspired the dominant visual theme of this book.
The box design is modeled after a Hafez manuscript held at Harvard Library, whose cover featured a unique opening mechanism. This product combines aesthetics from these sources and other classic designs to create a box that balances historical authenticity with modern functionality.
Weight and Dimensions:
Note that the box may be larger than it appears in the photos.
8×5×2 inches (20×13×6 cm)
Weight: 1 lbs
Free U.S. Shipping
For generations, Iranians have turned to the poetry of Hafez for guidance and inspiration. This bilingual card deck and interpretation booklet are designed to share that tradition with a wider audience, especially Persians living outside Iran or anyone who loves poetry and Persian culture.
Highlighting Hafez’s philosophy of love, freedom, and the pursuit of inner truth, these cards, with both the original Persian and English translations, stay true to Hafez’s spirit while attempting to make the poet’s wisdom more accessible.
Whether you are seeking new insights or simply wanting to connect with this beautiful tradition, this deck offers a way to bring Hafez’s poetry into your gatherings and daily life.
What is in the box:
There are 100 top of the line cards with front, side and back gold-foil stamping, each with a couplet in Persian and corresponding English translation.
A 100-page soft cover premium paper booklet.
“O seeker of the Faal (divination), heed this call” - The English guidebook gives you a starting point for contemplating the message.It all comes in a hard magnetic latch box, inspired by the look and feel of early medieval calligraphic folios.
Where these cards and guidebook came from:
This project was born out of a gathering held two years ago, where a diverse group of Iranians and non-Iranians came together to engage in the tradition of divination through the poetry of Hafez. During the event, it became clear that spontaneous translations from Persian to English often failed to capture the depth, nuance, and beauty of the original verse. Additionally, most Hafez-themed cards and translations available in the U.S. market are inauthentic, often misattributed to Hafez or bearing little to no resemblance to the actual work of the Persian poet Hafez.
So our team created these bilingual cards to respectfully help share Hafez's wisdom with a wider group.
About Hafez (also spelled Hafiz):
Mohammad Shams al-Din Shirazi (c. 1315-1390) is one of the most celebrated poets in Persian literature, known for his masterful ghazals (a type of poem) that blend themes of love, divinity, and human longing.
Born in Shiraz, he earned the title “Hafez” for memorizing the Qur’an, a feat that deeply shaped the spiritual and symbolic layer of his poetry.
Renowned for critiquiing hypocrisy and celebrating joy, nature, and wine as paths to the divine, Hafez’s Divan, or collection, has become a timeliness tradition for underlining life’s celebrations and struggles.
Translations:
Translating Hafez into English is no simple task. His poetry is a delicate interplay of mysticism, romance, and cultural and linguistic nuance. It is layered with double meanings and metaphors that shift depending on the reader’s perspective. Much of the beauty lies in this complexity, which resists direct translation.
This project owes its existence to the tireless work of Dr. Wally Shellenberger, whose deep connection to Hafez began during his years living in Iran. Immersing himself in Persian culture and language, he fell in love with the intricacies of Hafez’s poetry and dedicated himself to its translation. Wally generously suggested 100 verses for this project, drawing from his favorite Hafez couplets and his accompanying translations.
The Artwork:
When creating this product, we wanted to make something that could have been created during Hafez’s time. The cards were inspired by a late 15th-century manuscript, ‘Anthology of Poetry’ by Sultan Ali Mashhadi. Its delicate black floral designs on pink, aged paper, accented with dazzling gold and silver, inspired the dominant visual theme of this book.
The box design is modeled after a Hafez manuscript held at Harvard Library, whose cover featured a unique opening mechanism. This product combines aesthetics from these sources and other classic designs to create a box that balances historical authenticity with modern functionality.
Weight and Dimensions:
Note that the box may be larger than it appears in the photos.
8×5×2 inches (20×13×6 cm)
Weight: 1 lbs