Page:Impressions of Spain in 1866.djvu/80

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THE ALHAMBBA.


peux que sentir!' exclaimed the authoress of ’Les Lettres d'Espagne ' on entering ; but the predominant feeling is one of regret for the Moors, whose dynasty produced such marvels of beauty and of art. Entering by the fish-pond ^ patio/ and visiting first the Whispering Gallery, you pass through the Hall of the Ambassadors, and the Court of Lions, out of which lead the Hall of the Abencerrages, and that of Justice, with its two curious monuments and wonderful fi'etted roof, and then come to the gem of the whole, the private apartments of the Moorish kings, with the recessed bedroom of the king and queen, the boudoir and lovely latticed windows overlooking the beautifiil little garden of Lindaraja (the violets and orange- blossoms of which scented the whole air), and the exquisite baths below.[1] It is a thing to dream of,

  1. Few Have described this enchanting palace as well as the French lady already quoted. She says, speaking of the feelings it calls forth:— ’J'aimerais autant ^tre broy^e dans la gneule de ces jolis monstres qni ont des nez en noend de cravate, appelés Lions par la gr^ de Mahomet, qne de te parler de TAlhambra, tant ceite description est difficile. Les mnrailles ne sont qne guipures d^licates et compliqn^es : les plus hardies stalactites ne penvent donner nne id^e des coi^ipoles. Le tout est une merveille, un travail d'abeilles ou de f(6es. Les sculptures sont d'une d^licatesse ravissante, d'un gout parfait, d'une richesse qui vous fiut songer k tout ce que les contes de fees vous d^crivaient jadis k Theureux dge ob. Timagination a des ailes d'or. H^las ! la mienne n'a plus d'aile, elle est de plomb. Les Arabes n'employaient que quatre couleurs : le bleu, le rouge, le noir