Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-06-19
THE SPHINX AND THEPYRAAIIDS
A Picturesque Description of the
Great Egyptian Wonders.

Great Egyptian wonders.
The late Lord Elgin briefly but pic
tl.resquely describes his visit to the pyra-
m DIS in Egypt: eve pushed on over the
heaps of sand and debris, or probably COW
cred up tombs, which surrounded the base
of the pyramids, when we suddenly came
in face of the most remarkable object on
which my eye ever lighted. Somehow or
other had not thought of the Sphinx till |
saw her before me. There she was in all
her imposing magnitude, couched on the
margin of the desert, looking over the fer
tile valley of the Nile, and her gaze fixed on
the east as if in earnest expectation Of the
sunrising. And such a gaze! The
mystical light and deep shadows
cast by the moon, gave to it an
intensity which l cannot attempt to de-
scribe. To me it seemed a look, earnest,
searching, but unsatistied. For long time
L remained transfxed, endeavOring to read
the meaning conveyed by this wonderful
eye; but l was struck after awhile by what
seemed a contradiction in the expression
of the eye and of the mouth. There was a
singular genGeness and hopefulness in the
lines Of the mouth, which appeared to be in
contrast with the anxious eye. The upper
part of the face spoke of the intellect striv
ing, and striving yainly, TO solve the mys-
tery-(What mystery? the mystery, shall
we say, of Gods universe, or mans desti-
ny?)-While the lower indicated moral
conviction that all must be well, and that
this truth would in good time be
made manifest. We could hardly
tear ourselves away from this fascinating
spectacle to draw nearer TO the Great
Pyramid, which stood beside us, its outline
sharply traced in the clear atmosphere. We
walked round and round it, thinking of the
strange men whose ambition TO secure i'm
mortality for themselves had expressed it.
self in this giant creation. The enormous
blocks of granite, brought from one knows
not where, built up one knows not how;
the form selected solely for the purpose of
defying the assaults of time; the contrast
between the conception embodied in these
constructions and the talk of the frivolous
race by whom we are surrounded, and who
seemed capable of no thought beyond de-
sire for daily 'backshish,'- all this
seen and felt under the influence of
the dim moonlight, was very strik-
ing and impressive. We spent son e
time in m wing from pace to place along
the shadow cast by the pyramid upon the
sand, and observing the effect produced by
bringing the moon sometimes to its apex
and sometimes to ether points on its out
line. felt no disposition TO exchange for
sleep the state of dreamy hafcOnscious-
ness in which was wandering about; but
at length laid down on the shingly sand,
with a block of granite for a pillow, and
| passed an hour or two, sometimes doing,
sometimes wakeful, till one of my attend
ants informed me that the sunwould shortly
rise, and that it was time to commence to
ascend the pyramid if we intended to wit
ness from its summit his first appearance.
The ascent was, ! confess, much more
| formidable undertaking than l had antici-
pated; and our French friend gave in after
attempting few steps,"