Page:Poems - Southey (1799) volume 2.djvu/73

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Roll'd on their way with rapid melody,A child might tread. Behind, an orange groveIts gay green foliage starr'd with golden fruit;But with what odours did their blossoms loadThe passing gale of eve! less thrilling sweetRose from the marble's perforated floor,Where kneeling at her prayers, the Moorish queenInhaled the cool delight,^[1] and whilst she askedThe Prophet for his promised paradise,Shaped from the present scene its utmost joys.A goodly scene! fair as that faery land

↑ In the cabinet of the Alhambra where the Queen used to dress and say her prayers, and which is still an enchanting sight, there is a slab of marble full of small holes, through which perfumes exhaled that were kept constantly burning beneath. The doors and windows are disposed so as to afford the most agreeable prospects, and to throw a soft yet lively light upon the eyes. Fresh currents of air too are admitted, so as to renew every instant the delicious coolness of this apartment.
From the sketch of the History of the Spanish Moors, prefixed to Florian's Gonsalvo of Cordova.

[1] In the cabinet of the Alhambra where the Queen used to dress and say her prayers, and which is still an enchanting sight, there is a slab of marble full of small holes, through which perfumes exhaled that were kept constantly burning beneath. The doors and windows are disposed so as to afford the most agreeable prospects, and to throw a soft yet lively light upon the eyes. Fresh currents of air too are admitted, so as to renew every instant the delicious coolness of this apartment.
From the sketch of the History of the Spanish Moors, prefixed to Florian's Gonsalvo of Cordova.

[1]