The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-01-16
drink, out of the cup of experience. Of


mans inhumanity to men who write
verses. The walls of old Omar's niche
are scrawled over with crude drawings
and verses. The poets true monument
Is more lasting than brick.
Another grave which the traveller
visited is that Of the Sufi mystic Baya-
lid. at Bustam. BayaZid's legend OF
loving charity toward all life Is epito-
mized in the story that. having ar
rived at the end of a long Journey and
discovering on some grain which ne
had carried with him all the way a
number of ants-which he supposed to
he natives Of the place from which he
had set out. though they might just
as well have been picked up at any
intermediate stage Of the jaunt-he
retraced the whole road to restore the
strays to their natural habitat.
From the tomb of Bayazid at BUS
tam to that of Hafiz at Shiraz Is a
long way-20O pages in the book-but
not further than Hafiz would wish his
last resting place to be from that OF
one OF his cordially detested Suiis.
Visit 1t with the author:
"hNF' iiiiib dl'l'ih Iiu ''f
passing a field III opium poppies, where n
few large white or purple blossoms re-
main undcstroyed by rain. We reach tho
tomb OF Hafz just as the sun begins to
reappear. 1t lies In one OF those gardens
20 thiciSly scattered on the outskirts OF
the city. In general arrangement they
are all alike: a plot ~ ground entirely
encircied, on three sides high walls OF
baked yellow brick with pointed srcadcs
Ia aftaIt YA1Iaf a.. tIn f.,.tl 4. ra.IIl,u
raised three or four feet above the earth.
This usually comprise. a lofty losgia.
closed OF course at the back. and nanked
by two stories OF very small rooms.
7 had always heard that the grave Of
Persia's favorite poet was well cared for
and enclosed by n beautiful screen. 80 ex-
pected for once to md n charming spot
II proves one deluslon more. a few trees
grow In one corner: elsewhere there Is no
room. the whole enclosure being roughly
paved with the tombstones OF devotces.
who wished their ashes 20 IA. near those
OF Hafz.
The poet Is buried. not. as might have
been expected. in the centre OF the court.
but somewhat to one side. The grave Is
covered by a high slao OF marble, In
syribed with one Of hts odcs. on which a
common vase hlled with liiacs Is placed.
over It II an iron pavilion. ten rods. en-
'lpNfu ny n screen OF NulkhT design, sup
port a metal roof. from which iron rags
rise. 1t is brightly painted with blue.
black and gold. the lags being brilliantly
colored like toys. Anything more tawdry.
more unsuited TO canopy the dust Of a
world famous writer would be hard to
find. No ruins | have seen are
80 s'ovenly and unromantlc as those OF the
delicate Persian buildings once veneered
and colored.
Everywhere. looking for survivals of
the earlier delicate art and refined
taste OF Persia, the traveller found
only ~vulgarity and decay. Far from
agreeing with h American poets who.
as Aldrich did. compose into melting
lyrics the charms OF Teheran and Ispa-
nan. he thinks II would he difficult To
discover a more unintcresting place
than h capital of Persia. The native
part of the modern city is common
place. The European shops are
shabby. the legation quarter charm
less; the city, In "A word. is spoiled by
its pretensiop as a E~urOpcanized CAPT
tai. customs and costumes neither truly
Persian nor wholly European. In the
endless political chess game betwecn
the British and Russian legations any
impulses the natives may have 10 De-
come modcrnized are lone to death.
Visiting the American Minister, the
author was d"pressingly impressed bv
the contrast between his establishment
In a rented house and the dignity OF
the British Legation. Here was driven
ZONE consciousness of the cynical ne
cation of the democratic ideal We pre-
tend e, rf,a1 - 49,
dignified quarters for our foreign rep-
resentatiNes, which make IL difficult
for any but men of means To accent
diplomatic appointments. In Teharan.
while the other Ministers have official
carriages, the American Minister
drives about in a hired hack. In the
orient persons of position are expected
To live up 10 IL in outward appearance
fut the author does not place all the
pam" for his disappointment in our
Persian establishment upon the power
that controls the pursostringS. and he
makes It plain, without entering Too
much into detail. hat he consider, ,hc
Tack OF style due in part to the nor
sonal idiosyncracies Of tho rres.nt
incumbent Of the Ministerial office
'Hl"i'hI ~ iNl b1 reminders of "a
picturesque past-deCayed memorials
that do not bcautify the present. The
road into the town IL difficult and dam
g"r"us The Chahar Bagh. once a
glorious promenade. is now "A dusty
road passing between tuinblcdown
walls. The old squares and palaces
show IN their present condition most
clearly the fact that the ancient gem
nus OF h people was not architectural
nut decorative; when the beautiful
veneer Is lost. leaving the skeleton of
wood and brick exposed, there is none
of hat nobility of mass and dispositIo,
which remains dicniiied even when
ruined. h Orient of the poets
dreams is a rcCeding mirage,
ON the way from ~lspahan TO ShiraZ
the traveller sees another Persia. the
Persia of the dry plains. hunting
ground of the archcoloGist, with ruins
~ dead cities and memorials of ancient
rulers. There are the ruins II PaSlr-
gada. with the tomb of great I'vrus.
the toinhs of the Achnmeniau kin,s
chamhors hewn into the side of rocky
'ltis' the tomb OF Darius lIystasrus.
Sassanian sculptures. Zoroastritn Or,
affairs, the ruins ~ PEI scpOlis with the
palaces Of Darius and NcrXcs a Treas
ure region for the rue lover of mouu-
merts of antiquity.
The long. slow journey by car and
caravan led from Moscow thrnurb
Samard on the \plgu. nrpuhtr..