بنفشه

In modern Iran بنفشه is also a common feminine name. Children named Banafshe are named for the flower and inherit the connotations of modesty and quiet grace. Violet syrup (شربت بنفشه, sharbat-e banafshe) is a traditional Iranian summer drink, and violet leaves and flowers appear in Persian herbal medicine. The poetic and the everyday senses of the word reinforce each other: the same flower that is praised in classical lyric is also the flower in the courtyard pot and the syrup in the kitchen. A learner who only knows banafshe as the color purple is missing the older and richer half of the word.