This is a translation of selected poems from Darshan Singh's magnum opus, Mataa -e Noor. It sings of the torments and ecstasies that the lover of God experiences on the journey to divine realization. Remarkable for masterfully fulfilling his worldly responsibilities while immersing himself in his mystic quest, Darshan Singh (1921 - 1989) was a renowned spiritual teacher with tens of thousands of students around the globe. Twice the winner of a prestigious Urdu academy award for poetry in India, he has been acclaimed by critics to be among the finest contemporary mystical poets in the Urdu language.

Barry Lerner received an M.A. in South Asian languages and Civilizations in 1984 from the University of Chicago, where he studied Hindu, Urdu and Persian literature, with a concentration in Literary Criticism. Lerner was awarded a Hindu Language Fellowship by the American Institute of Indian Studies in New Delhi in 1980. Later he studied Arabic. His translation of some Persian verses of sa' di were published in Ehsan Yarshater's book Persian Literature.

Harbans Singh Bedi, the younger brother of Urdu short story laureate Rajinder Singh Bedi, received his M.A. in English Literature, with minors in Persian and Urdu Literature, from India's Government College, Lahore, in 1945. He taught English at Government College, Rupar, until he entered government service, retiring in 1980 as Assistant Director General, Defense Lands and Cantonments.