Part 6 (1/2)
The Pharaoh sive thee a chariot and its horses, a pectoral ornaolden circle weighing as ht”
Meanwhile the sorrooauze robes, and sobbed, stretched out upon the polished stone floors which reflected, , ”One of these accursed barbaric captives must have stolen our master's heart”
V
On the left bank of the Nile stood the villa of Poeri, the youngto view the triumphal return of the Pharaoh, she had passed in her ox-drawn car under the balcony whereon leaned carelessly the handso of the far of the house of pleasaunce, which stretched between the banks of the river and the foothills of the Libyan chain, over an i the inundation by the reddish waters laden with fertilising ated by skilfully planned canals
A wall, built of liarden, the store-houses, the cellars, and the dwelling
The walls sloped slightly inwards and were sur whosoever ht attempt to cli on iant lotus-flower planted on top of the capital, were cut in the wall on three of the sides In place of the fourth door rose a building which looked out into the garden from one of its facades, and on the road fro in no respect reseht to reproduce either the heavy foundations, the great s, but had striven to attain elegant lightness, refreshi+ng siracefulness in harmony with the verdure and the peacefulness of the country
The lower courses of the building, which the Nile reached in tih flood, were of sandstone, and the rest of the building of sycamore wood Tall, fluted colu the staffs of the standards before the king's palace, sprang froround and rose unbroken to the palm-leaved cornice, where swelled out, under a sile story built above the ground-floor did not rise as high as the s which bordered the terraced roof, and thus left an e and the flat roof of the villa Short, sroups of four by the tall coluallery around this aerial apartment open to every wind
Windows broader at the base than at the top of the opening, in accordance with the Egyptian style, and closed with double sashes, lighted the first story The ground-floor was lighted by narros placed closer to each other
Above the door, which was adorned with deep s, was a cross planted in a heart and fran of favourable oood house”
The whole building was painted in soft, pleasant colours; the lotus of the capitals showed alternately red and blue in the green capsules; the gilded palround; the white walls of the facades set off the painted frareen outlined panels and i wall, which was built flush with the dwelling, stood a row of trees cut to a point, which forainst the dusty southern wind, always laden with the desert heat
In front of the building grew a vast vineyard Stone shafts with lotus capitals placed at syh the vineyard, walks cutting each other at right angles Boughs of vine leaves joined one plant to another and formed a succession of leafy arches under which one could walk erect The ground, carefully raked and heaped up at the foot of each plant, contrasted by its brown colour with the bright green of the leaves, amid which played the sunbea two oblong pools bore upon their transparent surface aquatic birds and flowers At the corners of these pools four great palreen wreath of leaves at the top of their scaly trunks
Coarden around the vineyard,a sort of belt hich ran entirely around the enclosure doround were planted with fig, peach, alain, were planted with ornamental trees only: the tamarisk, the cassia, the acacia, the um-trees found beyond the cataracts of the Nile, under the Tropic of Cancer, in the oases of the Libyan Desert, and upon the shores of the Erythrean Gulf; for the Egyptians are very fond of cultivating shrubs and flowers, and they exact new species as a tribute from the peoples they have conquered
Flowers of all kinds, and many varieties of watermelons, lupines, and onions adorned the beds Two other pools of greater size, fed by the covered canal leading from the Nile, each bore a small boat to enable theFishes of divers for the stalks and the broad leaves of the lotus Banks of luxuriant vegetation surrounded these pools and were reflected in their green mirror
Near each pool rose a kiosk forht roof and surrounded by an open balcony whence one could enjoy the sight of the waters and breathe the coolness of theon a rustic seat of wood and reeds
The garden, lighted by the rising sun, had a bright, happy, restful look The green of the trees was so brilliant, the colours of the flowers so splendid, air and light filled so joyously the vast enclosure with breeze and sunbeareenness with the bare whiteness of the chalky sterility of the Libyan chain, the crest of which was seen above the walls cutting into the blue sky, was so marked that one felt the wish to stop and set up one's tent there It looked like a nest purposely built for a longed-for happiness
Along the walks travelled servants bearing on their shoulders a yoke of bent wood, fro by ropes two clay jars filled at the reservoirs, the contents of which they poured into s a jar suspended froutter which carried it to the parts of the garden that needed irrigating Gardeners were clipping the trees to a point or into an elliptical shape With the help of a hoe for a hook, other work
It was a delightful sight to see these men with their black, woolly hair, their bodies the colour of brick, dressed only in a pair of white drawers, going and co a rustic song to which their steps kept time The birds perched on the trees seemed to know them, and scarcely to fly off when, as they passed, they rubbed against the branches
The door of the building opened, and Poeri appeared on the threshold