The fact that orientalism has become fashionable in the West in the last century and, as is to be expected of fashions, has corrupted the virtues of its object, has not changed the fact that, for the Westerner, the Orient can be extremely instructive and even enchanting. Because, despite the fashions, the contrasts remain and, despite the fashions, the lessons remain. This positive side, more than ever, must be emphasized; perhaps it must even be admitted that, thanks to fashion, there are now a number of translations that would have been unthinkable two centuries ago. Ancient wisdom has the advantage of solidity: it can be distorted as much as one likes, but the texts remain as they are.