New-York tribune., 1902-05-28

precious talisman of the Arabian Nights-im-
mortal youth
The Alhambra is palace Of fanciful caprices
and illusions. The materials are plaster and
wood. and a commonplace order Of construc-
ton is concealed by sheer excess of ornamental
ton. Everything is unreal. The corridors
tented pavilions, and the chambers are grottos.
Slender marble shafts. which IN the mosque at
Cordova are like trees in forest glade are
tentpoles here, sustaining creamy draperies and
canopies richly embroidered. In place of heavy
weights of masonry above the exquisite col
umns. there plaster ceilings and honeycomb
domes, with thousands of cells where swarms
of bees seem to have been at work during the
Dark Ages. The mosaics and arabesques are
patterned after Oriental rugs, with fantastic
combinations Of geometric figures and foliage
Everywhere lines are used for the purpose Of
concealing the motives of construction. and
there is a fantasy of colors. fretwork and en-
broidery in stucco The most beautiful ceilings
are the hardwood dome of the Hall of the Am
bassadors. where jewelled effects produced
by Elusive means; the half orange roof Of the
Court of Lions, and the honeycomb vauting of
the Room of the Dos Hermanas with it's grace
full stalactite pendants and ingenious formation
of layers and cOnvolutions of bee cells The
wall decorations are of Incompatible delicacy
and lightness. The blues and reds OF the Court
Of Myrtles are combined with Oriental freedom;
the embroidered fretwork of the Court Of Lions
seems too refined for plaster, and suggests ivory
lacework, and there rich golden backgrounds
in the grottolike Halls of Justice. So harmoni-
Gus are the blends of color in the columned
walls and exquisite is the refinement OF the
mosacs. arabesques and plastic ceilings that
the spectator is content with the sense of deco
rative beauty. without puzzling over the signif-
canoe Cutie inScriptionS on borders.
striving TO fill in the missing details OF the
picture. such as the jewelled lamps swinging
from the arches. the perfumed fountains tink
ling in the grottos. the Arab warriors and
courtiers disporting themselves at leisure, the
lustrous eyed sultanas and favorites behind the
lattices of their boudoirs and the lutte players
filling the pauses in the banquet halls.
Granada itself is inevitably neglected when
the modern pilgrim of travel has been brought
under the spell of the Alhambra. One after
noon suffices for glimpse of the Royal Chapel.
where Ferdinand and Isabella, in sculptured
sleep, are dreaming in the dim light among
ornate relicarios and turning their vacant eyes
with stony stare toward the gded Retablo; or
for a walk around the stately and uninspiring
Renaissance Cathedral or for excursion TO
the Carthusian monastery, where the cloisters
are illustrated with ghastly pictures OF torture
and martyrdom; for strolIs through the
for exploration of the gypsy caves in the re-
mote reaches of the AbOcin. Granada is usual
ly described a dead CITY, with silent streets.
but found it animated and noisy. 1t is the
chief centre of tourist travel from Gibraltar,
Cadz and Madrid, and its climate is so delight
full at least in the late spring. that every pill
grims halt is prolonged long as possible,
even if there better entertainments for
the evenings than incongruous gypsy dances
directed by mercenary guides.
The Ahambra is unceasing source of ar
tistic delight in its half lights and soft blends
of color In its wall girdled isolation, with en-
trancng glimpses Of the quaint gray city. the
Alameda. with gurgling rills and fountains |
the broad. rolling plateau with vineyards and |
orange and olive groves and the blue and purple
sierras it is one of the most glorious COignes Of
vantage in the range of picturesque travel
Happy is the tourist with any degree Of sensi-
bility to beauty who is privileged to lnger in
lovely, restful Granada, The buoyancy of
youthful feeling returns with "reminiscences of !
the storied pages Of Washington Irving, who
may some day be canOniZed the patron saint |
Of Granada. Although his Arab romances may
have faded from memory, his enthusiasm over |
the haunted palace among jessamines. roses !
and myrtles still glows in the hearts of Ameri- |
cans, whose youth is renewed when they come /
to lovely Granada. They are enraptured with
the tranquil beauty of the last stronghold of .
the Moors and when their stay is reluctantly /
ended they turn backward regretfulIy like ,
Boabdil among the ramparts of the sierras for !
a last long, parting glimpse of the fair city |
which they are leaving behind them.
NAV PFSTGV From EIFCTJONS PUpEAU /