178 



ration of our oriental friends. They were addressed to the myrtle, 

 a tree equally esteemed by Europeans and Asiatics. 



EXTEMPORE LINES ON THE MYRTLE. 



" Favourite tree of beauty's queen, 

 " Ever fragrant, ever green, 

 " With thy foliage form a grove, 

 " Sacred to the maid I love. 



" There, encircled in her arms, 

 " Free from all but love's alarms, 

 " Let me revel, toy, and play, 

 " And fondly love my life away." 



The fruit, flowers, spices, and perfumes, introduced at these 

 entertainments, exercised the talents of the Mogul and Persian 

 3 r outh. We had several pleasant specimens of their genius durino- 

 the evening in little odes, distichs, and other effusions of poetry. 

 The splendor of the moon, the fragrance from the garden, the ele- 

 gance of the dancers, and the beauty of their songs, afforded the 

 subjects. I have preserved several which were written at the mo- 

 ment, by a young Shah-zadah, who committed them to paper as 

 they were composed, in a most elegant style of penmanship; which, 

 on fine Indian paper, flowered in silver and spotted with gold, 

 contrasted by the strong Persian letters, produces a beautiful effect. 



Distichs and poetical effusions are sometimes written upon the 

 leaves of plants and flowers; this was not practised on the present 

 occasion. D'Herbelot mentions it, but leaves us at a loss to guess 

 what kind of myrtle afforded a leaf sufficiently large, in his curious 

 anecdote of Kessai and Al Mamon, the son of the famous Khaliff 



