Persian wine tradition and symbolism: Evidence from the medieval poetry of Hafiz

Abstract

This paper explores the symbolism of wine in medieval Persian poetry, focusing particularly on the works of Hafiz. It provides a brief overview of the archaeological and historical evidence pertaining to wine in Persia. This is followed by an account of medieval court poetry in Persia, before attention focuses explicitly on the work of Hafiz. This highlights the symbolism of wine particularly through an interpretation of Hafiz's ethical system, which is seen as being closely derived from 8th century Malamati philosophy.

Acknowledgements

The authors are particularly grateful to an anonymous referee who provided extremely valuable comments and insights that we have sought to incorporate into this revised manuscript.