Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-03-02

other age and the scenes of Arabian
story. This great space, paved with
WHITE MARBLE
and surrounded by long lines OF ele-
CANT coonnades OF richly emblazoned
horse shoe arches resting upon delicate-
ly slender pillars-we recognize at once
as the oft-described Plaza de los AL
gibes. or Court of Myrtles. In its center
is an immense basin, 1870 feet long by 30
broad, In which innumerable gold fish
are darling about Yes, there must be
magic In the place, for the instant our
shadows fall upon the water-Presto!
The goldfish have all disappeared and
the basin appears empty of every liy-
ing thing Retreat few steps, and
back they come, sporting gaily as be.
fore In the sunshine; but nothing shall
induce us to believe that they are
merely everyday timid goldfish,
frightened at human approach.
The sides of the tank are
lined with roses, and beyond are
hedges of orange trees and myrtle and
japanese meddlers. Arabic inscriptions
cover the walls and galleries; and in
the latter may yet be seen the Identical
jealousles that once screened from vul-
gar gaze the charms OF the Sultan's
harem. This court Of myrtles was the
only part of the palace to which the
public was ever admitted; and we read
that even while the common enemy,
the Christian. was laundering at the
gates, II became the theater Of frequent
/ intrigues between hostile Moslem fac
tions, to whose bitter feuds may be as
cribed the downfall Of the Kingdom.
Here were received the pictures OF en-
Voys Of the distant east, who brought
gifts and greetings from the lords OF
Ispahan and Cairo. Here also upon
grand occasions were entertained the
flower OF Castilian chlyalry, who came
| 70 compete for the prize Of knlghtly
skin, and here the fiery old Abul Hacen,
surrounded by his several hundred
| wives. listened with gloomy forebod-
/ ings 10 the predictions of the astrolo-
ger who announced the loss Of his EN-
| pire and the extinction OF his race. He
| ordered the sur to be bow-strung at
once, and endeavored to forget his fears
/ In the caresses of his beautiful Horayda,
star OF the morning" but all the
same. the feet OF the nemesis overlook
him.
Everywhere In the Alhambra We are
struck with evidences that the architec-
| ture OF the ARABS was essentially rellg-
lous and the offspring Of the Koran, as
Gothic architecture is Of the Bible. The
KOran's prohibition TO represent any
animal life must have badly hampered
those Moslem sculptors, Probably that
Ia the reason why the twelve lions. So
called, which have given name to the
gem OF the palace. the Court Of Lions.
look less like the
KING OF BEASTS
than like dragons intended TO scare
away the Evil one. They have quad.
rangular legs, heads without names, the
front OF the face as thick az the back,
the nose hardly dlstlnguishable from
the checks. and waterpipes that look
like cigarette holders In their mouths.
No wonder all the lions have LEFT the
nelghborhood Of Morocco and have re-
tired In disgust 20 the interior OF
Africa Yet those Moore were wonder
full sculptors, as testified by the miles
Of mural arabesques that somehow re-
mind one Of the polyphonic intrieacies
Of modern music. and the floral orna-
mentations which Gautier says the "a
kind Of marble tapestry worked into
the wall itself" The geometrical adorn.
ments were undoubtedly taken from the