Collected papers of Miss Beauchamp
Transcription
Transcription history
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Letters from a Divan
1. The Harem.
A divan in a harem, peace, seclusion, rest an
atmosphere of grace! Too far to be found by those whose
pleasure lies in the noisy crowded town, but easily attained
by those who seek, needing its beauty, the beauty of hidden
things. Approach it by a winding street, uphill,
past overhanging, overlapping houses that try from either
side to touch each other, 'tis but a mile; at first barely
a track through devastation and ruin left by a great
fire; then it becomes a street again, and in the
quarter beyond chaos leads steeply past a mosque, to
the city boundary, lovely remains of old Venetian walls,
a gate of mystery, and then bare rolling hills,
melancholy and more mysterious.
The harem is scarce so far, a double door leads
from the street below the mosque into a narrow
paved courtyard with an old well in the corner, and
another door under the porter's lodge, from which all
coming visitors can be watched. Open that door
and enter another world, wherein the sounds of the
street are lost: a paved garden wherein limes,
roses, syringa, sweeten the air: vines, figs,
pomegranates bear abundant fruit.
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Letters from a Divan
1. The Harem.
A divan in a harem, peace, seclusion, rest
allanatmosphere of grace! Too far to be found by those whose
pleasure lies in the noisy crowded town, but easily attained
by those who seek, needing its beauty, the beauty of hidden
things.
TheApproach it by a winding street, uphill,past overhanding, overlapping houses that try from either
side to touch
theeach other, 'tis but a mile; at first barelya track through devastation and ruin left by
thea greatfire; then it becomes a street again, and in the
quarter beyond chaos leads steeply past a mosque, to
the city bound
ary, lovely remains of old Venetian walls,a gate of mystery, and then bare rolling hills,
melancholy and more mysterious.
The harem is scarce so far, a double door leads
from the street below the mosque into a narrow
paved courtyard with an old well in the corner, and
another door under the porter's lodge, from which all
coming visitors can be watched. Open that door
and enter another world, wherein the sounds of the
street are lost: a paved garden wherein limes,
roses, syringa, sweeten the air: vines, figs,
pomegranates bear abundant fruit.
Description
Save description- 40.6400629||22.944419100000005||||1
Salonika
Location(s)
Story location Salonika
- ID
- 19509 / 221719
- Contributor
- Sarah Wedderburn
- English
- Balkans
- Medical
- Women
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