only Borges can offer a parenthetical this is not a work of history after providing a historical background complete with references and even--just moments earlier--a footnote.

"Story of the Warrior and the Captive Maiden." Collected Fictions, translated by Andrew Hurley, Penguin Books, 1999, p. 208.

the other day, i correctly translated/identified טעים (ta'im, tasty) based on my knowledge of the persian (which i realized at that moment is actually arabic) طعم (ta'am, taste).

whoa.

someone looking over my shoulder in transit cannot be faulted for coming to a certain conclusion: news on Middle East, Persian Twitter feed, Persian Telegram ("what's Telegram??"), Persian music, keyboard, notes-to-self.

who would guess the heart of this Russian-Canadian Jew.