The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-08-27
THE ALHAMBRAB BY MOON
LIGHT.

But the supreme spell of the Al
hsmbra reserves itself for moonlig ht.
When the Madonna's lamp shone
bright in the ingui6ng shadows of the
Tower of Justice, while its upper
half was cased in steely radience, we
passed in by Chsrles's Palace, where
the moon, shining through the roofe 8
TOD, made row OF smaller moons IN the
circular upper windows of the dark
gray wall. In the Court of the Pond
the gourd-like umbelstion at the
north end spsrkled in diamond lustre
beneath quivering rays, and the
Tower of Oomares behind it repeated
itself in the gray-green water, with g
twinkle of sars around its reversed
summit. This image, dropped into
the liquid depth. has dwelt there
ever since its original was reared but
somehow ideal zed itself into picture
of the towers primitive perfection.
The GOODNESS of the moonlight on the
soft cream. colored plaster 10 this
warm, stilly air is peculiarly impress
sive. Absolutely DO sound is heard
but dripping water. Never did l
walk Trough q profounder, more
ghost-like silence than that which
eddied in Lindaraxs'5 garden around
the fountain, as it mourned in silvery
monotones of neglected grief. The
moon glare, coming through the Lonely
arches. shaped cleaning cuirssses on
the ground, or struck the outthrust
branches sof citron- trees. aud seemed
to drip from them again in q dazzle
OF snowy fire; and when | discovered
my two companions looking o9t un-
expectedly from a pointed win
dow, they were so pale in the brilli-
ance that played over them that for g
moment | esaily iancied them white
stoled a9psritions from the past
The JDg shadows Of the towers were
thrown far out over the sleeping city
at the hill's foot 90 We looked from the
Queens Peinsdor, where the black
trees of the shaggy ascent towards US
in swift lines or serpeotine ceilings as
if to grssp q, us. Far down. the city
caKed its squares OF hammered silver
dusked over by the dead gray of un
rejecting roofs. But within the Hall
of Ambassadors reigned gloom like
that OF the grave. Cleans OF sharp
radiance lay in the deep embrssures
without penetrating, and at one the
intricacies of open-woIk above the
arch were mapped in clear figures of
light on q space of iet-black flor,
Another was filed nearly to the top
by the blue, weirdly luminous image
of q mountain across the valley.
Through ali these openings, To ought,
the spirits of the departed could find
entrance as easily as the footless night
breeze. l wonder if the people who
lived in this labyrinth of art ever
smiled? In the palpitstiag dusk robed
men and yelled women seemed to
steal by with a rustic no louder than
that OF their actual movement in life;.
silk hangings hung floating from the
walls; scented lamps shed their beams
at moments through the obscurity,
and / saw the CLEAN of ensmelled
swords, the shine of bronze candle
sticks, the blur of colored vases in
the corners, the kasidas OF which
poetry-loviDg monsrchs turned the
pages. But in such a pace l c)R d
not imagine laughter. | felt incIined
to prJstrste myself in the darkness
before I know not what power of by
gone yet ever-present things-a halt
Tangible essence that expressed only
the solemnity OF life and the present
ment Of change. --Hdrper's AIgaz-
zine..