ter of a throne, and, like the star
that announces the approach of day, thou art refulgent with a
brilliancy that belongs to thee alone! Thine arm is the rampart of a
nation; thy justice an all-pervading luminary. Thou canst, by thy
valour, subdue those who have given companions to {141} God! Thy
numerous people are thy children, and thou renderest them all happy by
thy goodness. The bright stars of the firmament shine lovingly upon
thee, and the glorious light of the sun beams upon thee with affection.
The stately cedar, the proud monarch of the forest, bows his lofty head
at thy approach, and is again uplifted by thy puissant hand!"

In the midst of this court, which is paved with white marble, is a long
basin always filled with running water of sufficient depth for bathing.
It is bordered on each side by beds of flowers, and surrounded by walks
lined with orange-trees. The place was called the _Mesuar_, and served
as the common bathing-place of those who were attached to the service
of the palace.

From thence one passes into the celebrated _Court of Lions_. It is a
hundred feet in length and fifty in breadth. A colonnade of white
marble supports the gallery that runs around the whole. These columns,
standing sometimes two and sometimes three together, are of slender
proportions and fantastic design; but their lightness and grace afford
pleasure to the eye of the wondering beholder. The walls, and, above
all, the ceiling of the circular gallery, are covered {142} with
embellishments of gold, azure, and stucco, wrought into arabesques,
with an exquisite delicacy of execution that the most skilful modern
workmen would find it difficult to rival. In the midst of these
ornaments of ever-changing variety and beauty are inscribed passages
from the Koran, such as the following, which all good Mussulmans are
required frequently to repeat: _God is great: God alone is supreme:
There is no god but God: Celestial enjoyment, gratifications of the
heart, delights of the soul to all those who believe_.

At either extremity of the Court of Lions are placed, within the
interior space enclosed by the gallery, and, like it, supported by
marble columns, two elegant cupolas of fifteen or sixteen feet in
circumference. These graceful domes form a covering for beautiful
_jets d'eau_. In the centre of the lengthened square, a superb
alabaster vase, six feet in diameter, is supported in an elevated
position in the midst of a v