'Narrative of a Residence in Koordistan, and on the Site of Ancient Nineveh; with Journal of a Voyage down the Tigris to Bagdad and an Account of a Visit to Shirauz and Persepolis.' [‎221] (256/450)

LET. III.]
RUINS OF PERSEPOLIS.
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portals near which we were encamped, had a sinou-
lar and portentous aspect, faintly illuminated by the
moon, and by the remains of a fire our people had
lighted, which cast a reddish mysterious light on
part of them. As I walked among the lofty pillars,
numberless were the fancies that arose, and the
incomparable ode* at once presented itself to my
recollection. I was actually walking among the
remains of those very " Persian abodes," but how
changed! The fall of my own footsteps, and the cry
of the fox from the hills which contain the royal
sepulchres, were the only sounds heard, while above
the pale moon was pursuing her tranquil course,
unconscious of, or at least unchanged by, the lapse
of ages.
September 1.—I have been running on, giving
you " moods of my own mind," instead of an account
of Persepolis. I shall reserve my further fancies till
Ave meet, and indeed my account of Persepolis also ;
for I am no great inditer of long accounts, and be
sides, so much has been said about Persepolis, that
scarcely anything can now be added, especially when
one has seen Porter's admirable drawings. I found
I had formed a tolerably correct notion of the ruins,
and that I was neither surprised nor disappointed
by a sight of them, which is rare in such cases. They
are of a taste quite peculiar. The execution and
finish are very beautiful. The fault I find is the
* Uiyden's "Alexander's Feast."