On the one hand lies wine,

on the other lies piety;

with thy hand in mine

and drink from my chalice.

can bankrupt with malice;

only juice of the grape

drunk with you in my eyes

from its laws and its lies.

Hafez this soberly has stated

in many Farsi versions,

his poetry more highly rated

than peace with Jews by Persians.

Inspired by  Hafez (Shams-ud-din Mohammad Hafiz Shirazi)

In  “A Bitter Education,” TNR, 4/9/26,  Pankaj Mishra writes:

In its quiescence to the West’s war on Iran, India is squandering a precious legacy. Jawaharlal Nehru wrote in The Discovery of India that “among the many people and races who have come in contact with Indians and influenced India’s life and culture, the oldest and most........

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