They were standing at the top of an immense flight of steps
extending as far to right and left as they could see, and leading
down by easy stages and wide landings to the white-paved city
itself. The clear light flooded the scene--lucid, vivid,
many-peopled. Far as the eye could see, broad streets extended,
lined with structures rivaling in splendour and beauty those
unforgotten "topless towers." Temples, palaces, and public buildings
rose, storey upon storey, built of hewn stones of great size; and
noble arches faced an open square before a temple of colossal
masonry crowning an eminence in the centre of the city. Directly in
line with this eminence rose the mountain upon whose summit stood
the far-seen pillars where burned the solitary light.
If an enchanted city had risen from the waves because some one had
chanced to speak the right word, it could have been no more
bewildering; and yet the look of this city was so substantial, so
adapted to all commonplace needs, so essentially the scene of
every-day activity and purpose, that dozens of towns of petty
European principalities seem far less actual and practicable homes
of men.
Pages:
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182