The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1895-04-27
AN ,MplAn FAlHv..Anp.
eplendors of 0ddenporc, tho ~City OF the
Etinrlxe.''

spienaaor' OF oddsnpore; tho 'city OF I'll.
Passing Under arches, <~e ssner9.
from the shadow into 4 dazzle of light
from the broad platform of old and
| yellow marble, well polished by the
constant friction of bare feet. few
low steps lead down 50 the blue water
OF the picho1a lake. On one side q
white wall ending in little temple
cuts off the view; the dancing refiec-
ton of the sun in the water is thrown
up in long ripping waves OF light into
the shadow Of the caves. The view
down the lake on the other side is un-
surpassab1e in india. A long perspec-
tive OF white palaces, with many
domes and orie1-windows, with solid
masses Of dark foliage rising from
the water here and there, reaches tc
the great supporting walls of the RAJ
mas castle: and at this point the lake
opens Out into greater width; its hori-
zon of gardens and hills beyond is In
terrupted only by the fantastic sill
houettes of the island palaces, which
seem to float between water and sky;
it is as If the elusive fniragcs which we
had so often seen on our way across
the white salt deserts of Persia, and
which had always melted into thin air,
had at last become materialized here. AS
we stand on the steps and look across
the water in front of us, which is
like 4 narrow river at this point, we
see. other temples among dark trees,
oil in the shadow, and there are also
little garden pavi1ions, with steps de
scending to the water, and sometimes
hanging it. Just now the platform
behind It's and the steps are crowded
with women and young girls, babies
and children, all either bathing or
their bronze water-jars, chat
tering, gossiping, laughing, or lying
about in the genial afternoon sunshine
of January, and not at all in a hurry to
finish their work or to go home. I'm
der and through the white arches an
endless throng of these gracefully
draPed,. swaying figures, in scar
let, in crimson and dull gold, in
faded reds and warm blues carry
ing on their heads the great vases
Of glittcring metal, is continually
passing to and from the wet and glis-
tening STEPS. The golden afternoon
haze is beginning to soften the white
IF the walls, but tomorrow morning.
when this side is in shadow, we shall |
see exactly the same mellow glow Oh |
between morning and afternoon is |
quite too intangible to express with !
my painters medium. A boat with |
crew is waiting at the land |
ng, and having settled ourselves COM |
.ortably among the cushions, we arc |
pushed off from the shore and steer for |
Inc island OF jug Navas,"
which is the nearest of the lar |
ger islands, and seems to be the |
more material. AS the boat moves
Town the lakes towards the islands,
he glow and power OF the white light
brown back from the vast and tower
ng expansc of blank wall from which
he Rana's palace scars upward against
he deep blue of the sky. and from the
white city at its side, is almost too
much for the eyes All this white,
treaked in places with the golden
nd the scarlet and multicolored fig
Tres on the stepsO and the drinking
Elephants, is mirrored below, and until
he pillow cuts the CLASSY surface, it
GEMS at times like passing over white
loud.-Edwin Lord Weeks, in Harper's
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