But the East is a region of contrasts as well as of luxury, and it is difficult to say how much of their reputation the celebrated5 mansions6 of Damascus owe to the wretchedness of the ordinary dwellings7, and also to the raggedness8 of their surroundings. We spent a day in visiting several of the richest dwellings, and steeping ourselves in the dazzling luxury they offer.
The exterior9 of a private house gives no idea of its interior. Sometimes its plain mud-wall has a solid handsome street-door, and if it is very old, perhaps a rich Saracenic portal; but usually you slip from the gutter10, lined with mud-walls, called a street, into an alley11, crooked12, probably dirty, pass through a stable-yard and enter a small court, which may be cheered by a tree and a basin of water. Thence you wind through a narrow passage into a large court, a parallelogram of tesselated marble, having a fountain in the centre and about it orange and lemon trees, and roses and vines. The house, two stories high, is built about this court, upon which all the rooms open without communicating with each other. Perhaps the building is of marble, and carved, or it may be highly ornamented14 with stucco, and painted in gay colors. If the establishment belongs to a Moslem15, it will have beyond this court a second, larger and finer, with more fountains, trees, and flowers, and a house more highly decorated. This is the harem, and the way to it is a crooked alley, so that by no chance can the slaves or visitors of the master get a glimpse into the apartments of the women. The first house we visited was of this kind; all the portion the gentlemen of the party were admitted into was in a state of shabby decay; its court in disrepair, its rooms void of comfort,—a condition of things to which we had become well accustomed in everything Moslem. But the ladies found the court of the harem beautiful, and its apartments old and very rich in wood-carving16 and in arabesques17, something like the best old Saracenic houses in Cairo.
The houses of the rich Jews which we saw are built like those of the Moslems, about a paved court with a fountain, but totally different in architecture and decoration.
In speaking of a fountain, in or about Damascus, I always mean a basin into which water is discharged from a spout19. If there are any jets or upspringing fountains, I was not so fortunate as to see them.
In passing through the streets of the Jews' quarter we encountered at every step beautiful children, not always clean Sunday-school children, but ravishingly lovely, the handsomest, as to exquisite20 complexions21, grace of features, and beauty of eyes, that I have ever seen. And looking out from the open windows of the balconies which hang over the street were lovely Jewish women, the mothers of the beautiful children, and the maidens22 to whom the humble24 Christian25 is grateful that they tire themselves and look out of windows now as they did in the days of the prophets.
At the first Jewish house we entered, we were received by the entire family, old and young, newly married, betrothed26, cousins, uncles, and maiden23 aunts. They were evidently expecting company about these days, and not at all averse27 to exhibiting their gorgeous house and their rich apparel. Three dumpy, middle-aged28 women, who would pass for ugly anywhere, welcomed us at first in the raised recess29, or lew鈔, at one end of the court; we were seated upon the divans30, while the women squatted31 upon cushions. Then the rest of the family began to appear. There were the handsome owner of the house, his younger brother just married, and the wife of the latter, a tall and pretty woman of the strictly32 wax-doll order of beauty, with large, swimming eyes. She wore a short-waisted gown of blue silk, and diamonds, and, strange to say, a dark wig33; it is the fashion at marriage to shave the head and put on a wig, a most disenchanting performance for a bride. The numerous children, very pretty and sweet-mannered, came forward and kissed our hands. The little girls were attired34 in white short-waisted dresses, and all, except the very smallest, wore diamonds. One was a bride of twelve years, whose marriage was to be concluded the next year. She wore an orange-wreath, her high corsage of white silk sparkled with diamonds, and she was sweet and engaging in manner, and spoke35 French prettily36.
The girls evidently had on the family diamonds, and I could imagine that the bazaar37 of Moses in the city had been stripped to make a holiday for his daughters. Surely, we never saw such a display out of the Sultan's treasure-chamber. The head-dress of one of the cousins of the family, who was recently married, was a pretty hat, the coronal front of which was a mass of diamonds. We saw this same style of dress in other houses afterwards, and were permitted to admire other young women who were literally38 plastered with these precious stones, in wreaths on the head, in brooches and necklaces,—masses of dazzling diamonds, which after a time came to have no more value in our eyes than glass, so common and cheap did they seem. If a wicked person could persuade one of these dazzling creatures to elope with him, he would be in possession of treasure enough to found a college for the conversion39 of the Jews. I could not but be struck with the resemblance of one of the plump, glowing-cheeked young girls, who was set before us for worship, clad in white silk and inestimable jewels, to the images of the Madonna, decked with equal affection and lavish40 wealth, which one sees in the Italian churches.
All the women and children of the family walked about upon wooden pattens, ingeniously inlaid with ivory or pearl, the two supports of which raise them about three inches from the ground.
They are confined to the foot by a strap41 across the ball, but being otherwise loose, they clatter42 at every step; of course, graceful43 walking on these little stilts44 is impossible, and the women go about like hens whose toes have been frozen off. When they step up into the lew鈔, they leave their pattens on the marble floor, and sit in their stocking-feet. Our conversation with this hospitable45 collection of relations consisted chiefly in inquiries46 about their connection with each other, and an effort on their part to understand our relationship, and to know why we had not brought our entire families. They were also extremely curious to know about our houses in America, chiefly, it would seem, to enforce the contrast between our plainness and their luxury. When we had been served with coffee and cigarettes, they all rose and showed us about the apartments.
The first one, the salon47, will give an idea of the others. It was a lofty, but not large room, with a highly painted ceiling, and consisted of two parts; the first, level with the court and paved with marble, had a marble basin in the centre supported on carved lions; the other two thirds of the apartment was raised about a foot, carpeted, and furnished with chairs of wood, inlaid with mother-of-pearl, stiffly set against the walls. The chairs were not comfortable to sit in, and they were the sole furniture. The wainscoting was of marble, in screen-work, and most elaborately carved. High up, near the ceiling, were windows, double windows in fact, with a space between like a gallery, so that the lacelike screen-work was exhibited to the utmost advantage. There was much gilding48 and color on the marble, and the whole was costly49 and gaudy50. The sleeping-rooms, in the second story, were also handsome in this style, but they were literally all windows, on all sides; the space between the windows was never more than three or four inches. They are admirable for light and air, but to enter them is almost like stepping out of doors. They are all en suite51, so that it would seem that the family must retire simultaneously52, exchanging the comparative privacy of the isolated53 rooms below for the community of these glass apartments.
The salons54 that we saw in other houses were of the same general style of the first; some had marble niches55 in the walls, the arch of which was supported by slender marble columns, and these recesses56, as well as the walls, were decorated with painting, usually landscapes and cities. The painting gives you a perfectly57 accurate idea of the condition of art in the Orient; it was not only pre-Raphaelite, it was pre-Adamite, worse than Byzantine, and not so good as Chinese. Money had been freely lavished58 in these dwellings, and whatever the Eastern chisel59 or brush could do to enrich and ornament13 them had been done. I was much pleased by the picture of a city,—it may have been Damascus—freely done upon the wall. The artist had dotted the plaster with such houses as children are accustomed to make on a slate60, arranging some of them in rows, and inserting here and there a minaret61 and a dome62. There was not the slightest attempt at shading or perspective. Yet the owners contemplated63 the result with visible satisfaction, and took a simple and undisguised pleasure in our admiration of the work of art.
"Alas," I said to the delighted Jew connoisseur64 who had paid for this picture, "we have nothing like that in our houses in America, not even in the Capitol at Washington!"
"But your country is new," he replied with amiable65 consideration; "you will have of it one day."
In none of these veneered and stuccoed palaces did we find any comfort; everywhere a profuse66 expenditure67 of money in Italian marble, in carving, in gilding, and glaring color, but no taste, except in some of the wood-work, cut in Arabesque18, and inlaid—a reminiscence of the almost extinct Saracenic grace and invention. And the construction of all the buildings and the ornamentation were shabby and cheap in appearance, in spite of the rich materials; the marbles in the pavement or the walls were badly joined and raggedly68 cemented, and by the side of the most costly work was sure to be something mean and frail69.
We supposed at first that we ought to feel a little delicacy70 about intruding71 our bare-faced curiosity into private houses,—perhaps an unpardonable feeling in a traveller who has been long enough in the Orient to lose the bloom of Occidental modesty72. But we need not have feared. Our hosts were only too glad that we should see their state and luxury. There was something almost comical in these Jewish women arraying themselves in their finest gowns, and loading themselves with diamonds, so early in the day (for they were ready to receive us at ten o'clock), and in their na飗e enjoyment73 of our admiration. Surely we ought not to have thought that comical which was so kindly74 intended. I could not but wonder, however, what resource for the rest of the day could remain to a woman who had begun it by dressing75 in all her ornaments76, by crowning herself with coronets and sprays of diamonds, by hanging her neck and arms with glittering gems77, as if she had been a statue set up for idolatry. After this supreme78 effort of the sex, the remainder of the day must be intolerably flat. For I think one of the pleasures of life must be the gradual transformation79, the blooming from the chrysalis of elegant morning d閟habille into the perfect flower of the evening toilet.
These princesses of Turkish diamonds all wore dresses with the classic short waist, which is the most womanly and becoming, and perhaps their apparel imparted a graciousness to their manner. We were everywhere cordially received, and usually offered coffee, or sherbet and confections.
H. H. the Emir Abd-el-Kader lives in a house suitable to a wealthy Moslem who has a harem. The old chieftain had expressed his willingness to receive us, and N. Meshaka, the American consular80 agent, sent his kawass to accompany us to his residence at the appointed hour. The old gentleman met us at the door of his reception-room, which is at one end of the fountained court. He wore the plain Arab costume, with a white turban. I had heard so much of the striking, venerable, and even magnificent appearance of this formidable desert hero, that I experienced a little disappointment in the reality, and learned anew that the hero should be seen in action, or through the lenses of imaginative description which can clothe the body with all the attributes of the soul. The demigods so seldom come up to their reputation! Abd-el-Kader may have appeared a gigantic man when on horseback in the smoke and whirl of an Algerine combat; but he is a man of medium size and scarcely medium height; his head, if not large, is finely shaped and intellectual, and his face is open and pleasing. He wore a beard, trimmed, which I suspect ought to be white, but which was black, and I fear dyed. You would judge him to be, at least, seventy-five, and his age begins to show by a little pallor, by a visible want of bodily force, and by a lack of lustre81 in those once fiery82 and untamable eyes.
His manner was very gracious, and had a simple dignity, nor did our interview mainly consist in the usual strained compliments of such occasions. In reply to a question, he said that he had lived over twenty years in Damascus, but it was evident that his long exile had not dulled his interest in the progress of the world, and that he watched with intense feeling all movements of peoples in the direction of freedom. There is no such teacher of democracy as misfortune, but I fancy that Abd-el-Kader sincerely desires for others the liberty he covets83 for himself. He certainly has the courage of his opinions; while he is a very strict Moslem, he is neither bigoted84 nor intolerant, as he showed by his conduct during the massacre85 of the Christians86 here, in 1860. His face lighted up with pleasure when I told him that Americans remembered with much gratitude87 his interference in behalf of the Christians at that time.
The talk drifting to the state of France and Italy, he expressed his full sympathy with the liberal movement of the Italian government, but as to France he had no hope of a republic at present, he did not think the people capable of it.
"But America," he said with sudden enthusiasm, "that is the country, in all the world that is the only country, that is the land of real freedom. I hope," he added, "that you will have no more trouble among yourselves."
We asked him what he thought of the probability of another outburst of the Druses, which was getting to be so loudly whispered. Nobody, he said, could tell what the Druses were thinking or doing; he had no doubt that in the former rising and massacre they were abetted88 by the Turkish government. This led him to speak of the condition of Syria; the people were fearfully ground down, and oppressed with taxation89 and exactions of all sorts; in comparison he did not think Egypt was any better off, but much the same.
In all our conversation we were greatly impressed by the calm and comprehensive views of the old hero, his philosophical90 temper, and his serenity91; although it was easy to see that he chafed92 under the banishment93 which kept so eager a soul from participation94 in the great movements which he weighed so well and so longed to aid. When refreshments95 had been served, we took our leave; but the emir insisted upon accompanying us through the court and the dirty alleys96, even to the public street where our donkeys awaited us, and bade us farewell with a profusion97 of Oriental salutations.
点击收听单词发音
1 admiration | |
n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 willows | |
n.柳树( willow的名词复数 );柳木 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 splendor | |
n.光彩;壮丽,华丽;显赫,辉煌 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 ostentation | |
n.夸耀,卖弄 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 celebrated | |
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 mansions | |
n.宅第,公馆,大厦( mansion的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 dwellings | |
n.住处,处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 raggedness | |
破烂,粗糙 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 exterior | |
adj.外部的,外在的;表面的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 gutter | |
n.沟,街沟,水槽,檐槽,贫民窟 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11 alley | |
n.小巷,胡同;小径,小路 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12 crooked | |
adj.弯曲的;不诚实的,狡猾的,不正当的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13 ornament | |
v.装饰,美化;n.装饰,装饰物 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14 ornamented | |
adj.花式字体的v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15 Moslem | |
n.回教徒,穆罕默德信徒;adj.回教徒的,回教的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16 carving | |
n.雕刻品,雕花 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17 arabesques | |
n.阿拉伯式花饰( arabesque的名词复数 );错综图饰;阿拉伯图案;阿拉贝斯克芭蕾舞姿(独脚站立,手前伸,另一脚一手向后伸) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18 arabesque | |
n.阿拉伯式花饰;adj.阿拉伯式图案的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19 spout | |
v.喷出,涌出;滔滔不绝地讲;n.喷管;水柱 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
20 exquisite | |
adj.精美的;敏锐的;剧烈的,感觉强烈的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
21 complexions | |
肤色( complexion的名词复数 ); 面色; 局面; 性质 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
22 maidens | |
处女( maiden的名词复数 ); 少女; 未婚女子; (板球运动)未得分的一轮投球 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
23 maiden | |
n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
24 humble | |
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
25 Christian | |
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
26 betrothed | |
n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
27 averse | |
adj.厌恶的;反对的,不乐意的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
28 middle-aged | |
adj.中年的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
29 recess | |
n.短期休息,壁凹(墙上装架子,柜子等凹处) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
30 divans | |
n.(可作床用的)矮沙发( divan的名词复数 );(波斯或其他东方诗人的)诗集 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
31 squatted | |
v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 );非法擅自占用(土地或房屋);为获得其所有权;而占用某片公共用地。 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
32 strictly | |
adv.严厉地,严格地;严密地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
33 wig | |
n.假发 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
34 attired | |
adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服,使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
35 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
36 prettily | |
adv.优美地;可爱地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
37 bazaar | |
n.集市,商店集中区 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
38 literally | |
adv.照字面意义,逐字地;确实 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
39 conversion | |
n.转化,转换,转变 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
40 lavish | |
adj.无节制的;浪费的;vt.慷慨地给予,挥霍 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
41 strap | |
n.皮带,带子;v.用带扣住,束牢;用绷带包扎 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
42 clatter | |
v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
43 graceful | |
adj.优美的,优雅的;得体的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
44 stilts | |
n.(支撑建筑物高出地面或水面的)桩子,支柱( stilt的名词复数 );高跷 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
45 hospitable | |
adj.好客的;宽容的;有利的,适宜的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
46 inquiries | |
n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 );疑问;探究;打听 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
47 salon | |
n.[法]沙龙;客厅;营业性的高级服务室 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
48 gilding | |
n.贴金箔,镀金 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
49 costly | |
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
50 gaudy | |
adj.华而不实的;俗丽的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
51 suite | |
n.一套(家具);套房;随从人员 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
52 simultaneously | |
adv.同时发生地,同时进行地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
53 isolated | |
adj.与世隔绝的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
54 salons | |
n.(营业性质的)店( salon的名词复数 );厅;沙龙(旧时在上流社会女主人家的例行聚会或聚会场所);(大宅中的)客厅 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
55 niches | |
壁龛( niche的名词复数 ); 合适的位置[工作等]; (产品的)商机; 生态位(一个生物所占据的生境的最小单位) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
56 recesses | |
n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 );(工作或业务活动的)中止或暂停期间;学校的课间休息;某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 );将(墙)做成凹形,在(墙)上做壁龛;休息,休会,休庭 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
57 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
58 lavished | |
v.过分给予,滥施( lavish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
59 chisel | |
n.凿子;v.用凿子刻,雕,凿 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
60 slate | |
n.板岩,石板,石片,石板色,候选人名单;adj.暗蓝灰色的,含板岩的;vt.用石板覆盖,痛打,提名,预订 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
61 minaret | |
n.(回教寺院的)尖塔 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
62 dome | |
n.圆屋顶,拱顶 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
63 contemplated | |
adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
64 connoisseur | |
n.鉴赏家,行家,内行 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
65 amiable | |
adj.和蔼可亲的,友善的,亲切的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
66 profuse | |
adj.很多的,大量的,极其丰富的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
67 expenditure | |
n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出;使用,消耗 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
68 raggedly | |
破烂地,粗糙地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
69 frail | |
adj.身体虚弱的;易损坏的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
70 delicacy | |
n.精致,细微,微妙,精良;美味,佳肴 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
71 intruding | |
v.侵入,侵扰,打扰( intrude的现在分词);把…强加于 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
72 modesty | |
n.谦逊,虚心,端庄,稳重,羞怯,朴素 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
73 enjoyment | |
n.乐趣;享有;享用 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
74 kindly | |
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
75 dressing | |
n.(食物)调料;包扎伤口的用品,敷料 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
76 ornaments | |
n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 );点缀;装饰品;首饰v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
77 gems | |
growth; economy; management; and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
78 supreme | |
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
79 transformation | |
n.变化;改造;转变 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
80 consular | |
a.领事的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
81 lustre | |
n.光亮,光泽;荣誉 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
82 fiery | |
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
83 covets | |
v.贪求,觊觎( covet的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
84 bigoted | |
adj.固执己见的,心胸狭窄的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
85 massacre | |
n.残杀,大屠杀;v.残杀,集体屠杀 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
86 Christians | |
n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
87 gratitude | |
adj.感激,感谢 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
88 abetted | |
v.教唆(犯罪)( abet的过去式和过去分词 );煽动;怂恿;支持 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
89 taxation | |
n.征税,税收,税金 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
90 philosophical | |
adj.哲学家的,哲学上的,达观的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
91 serenity | |
n.宁静,沉着,晴朗 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
92 chafed | |
v.擦热(尤指皮肤)( chafe的过去式 );擦痛;发怒;惹怒 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
93 banishment | |
n.放逐,驱逐 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
94 participation | |
n.参与,参加,分享 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
95 refreshments | |
n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
96 alleys | |
胡同,小巷( alley的名词复数 ); 小径 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
97 profusion | |
n.挥霍;丰富 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
欢迎访问英文小说网 |