Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1894-03-16
PERSIAN GARDENS,
Entertaining Description OF an Old and
Famous One.


features OF Shiraz, which has been III
a way the Florence oI Persia, aS Ispa
ham was its Rome, are the oiu anu
neglected gardens surrounding the de-
caylnS paylllonS and garuen-nouseS vi
It's ancient rulers. Persia explains both |
Mogu India and Moorish Spain, for liz
both countries the landscape gardening
seems TO have followed the cdnun>
OF Persian taste. Many who have no
peen III Persia are familiar Win tn>
S;lruenS OF the Generaiife in Granada,
or, better still, the palace gardens vi
Agra AND Lahore, Where one may nnu
The Saline Stoue-curUed canals Uofuereu
with towering SHRUBS or Ny avenues
OF expresses, where even the designs vi
the lnIaid tiles and OF the archeu colon
nadeS differ from those OF Persia OILY
III some minute details. One of 1ne
most attractive OF these Old pleasure
resorts is situated on the slope OF The
mountain behind tile house. Darn
masses OF foliage rise above the wall
luu the gate by which We enter, ana
just lnsiue Is Il great tank, now dr!
ranks vi Eill Expresses, together with
the successive terraced Platforms, All
decorated with mosaic tiles, Which lead
up, ike long flights OF steps, to the
principal pavilion standing high Oh
the hillside. A stream OF water once
Tell in ripping cascades over slabs
Of frette,l marble into this lowest res
ervolr But all is now i'll ruins; the
water courses are dried up; the sup
porting Wallis OF the terraces have crun-
Died away in many places, leaving only
heaps OF bricks, among which CLEANS
here and there the vivid blue glaze
OF tile. One or two slender minarets
still retain their gittering surfaces OF
porcelain.
1t may have been i'll this very spot
that HATH borrowed much OF the I'M
agery which gives such color to his
verses that they seem still fresh and
living to US modernS. Both he and
the poet Sadi, his great rival i'll fame,
lie buried i'll garden tombS not far Off.
AS Emerson says, the cedar, the cy-
press, the palm, the olive, the tig Tree,
the birds that nhabit them, and the
garden flowers are never wanting i'll
these musky verses, and are always
named with effect" This garden, like
those nearer the city, Is still the resort
of the fashionable youth OF Shiraz
who delight in displaying their superb
horsemanship on the roads which lead
to it, and one often encounters pic
nicking parties Of yelled ladies III some
secluded nook, where their rugs are
laid on the russell carpet OF falleI
leaves. There are always groups o.
young men looking down from thu
higher galleries above, over the ruined
terraces and the uee-topS below, ant
many of them have scraWled thei
names in the Persian characters o.
the moldering Stucco of the alcoveS
They seem TO ride out here for eXer
else, and to enjoy the view, as thei
Italian brethren climb the terraces
OF San Giusto at Verona. Many o
these younS fellows, who probabl.
represent the jeuneSse doree of Shira
have an air of greater refinement THAI
is usual in the northern cities; thei
handsome horses are carefully groomed
and their trappings and saddle-cloths
often of immaculate white felt stitches
in arabesque designs, although que
in effect, are faultlessIy correct.