In some cases, the results of the original research by the editor or by others working in the field are published here for the first time. Much of the material has never before appeared in English.A score embodying the best available musical text.Historical background--what is known of the circumstances surrounding the origins of the work, including (where relevant) original source material.A detailed analysis of the music, by the editor of the volume or another well-known scholar.Other significant analytic essays and critical comments, exposing the student to a variety of opinions about the music.

    Most, if not all, of these poets are Sufi. They utilize the poetic vocabulary of Sufiism: the tavern, the wine, the flowers, etc., all actually technical terms describing the soul's progression on the mystical path towards God. Raverty's introductory essay, "Remarks on the Mystic Doctrine and Poetry of the Sufis" provides a skeleton key to the symbology.Most of the writers included here were, in addition to being Sufi poets, tribal leaders, men of action, in many cases related in some fashion. For instance, the prolific Khushhal Khan fathered Ashraf Khan and Abd-ul-Kadir Khan, all very formidable poets and warriors. Their poetry reflects a tribal, patriarchal society (women don't normally appear in these texts except as the 'beloved,' or a target of scorn). However, this is not the bleak, bigoted, art and music starved world of the Taliban. It is clear that not all of that Sufi joie de vivre is metaphorical, and many of the verses display a wicked sense of humor. The descriptions of nature are realistic, and their love of country is fierce.Raverty (b. 1825, d. 1906), a Major in the British Army, fought in the Punjab from 1849-50. From 1852-9 he was Assistant Commissioner of the Punjab. His duties involved extensive travel in what is today Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India. He wrote one of the first Pushto grammars in 1855. He also wrote a Pushto-English dictionary, and a volume of Pushto texts in the original language, which served as the basis for these translations. The system of transcription in this book, which is reproduced exactly as in the original with the help of Unicode, is not pretty, but at least is applied consistently. Included here are translations of poems only available in manuscripts which Raverty was able to access, obviously very rare.