72 THE GARDENS OF THE TAJ 



over the edges of the fountain parterre round the 

 central tank, A soft grey bloom of raindrops 

 veiled the grass and clung to the tapering 

 cypress spires, while beyond them, against a 

 background of purple cloud, the Taj, more 

 exquisite than ever, seemed sharply carved in 

 mellow ivory ; smooth, solid ivory of every tone 

 from palest cream to a soft, deep ochre, where 

 the rain had stained the marble. A long -for- 

 gotten first sight of Pisa in winter flashed back on 

 my mind as I gazed entranced at this strange 

 new Taj, with its quiet harmonies of grey-green, 

 and cream, and purple. 



Up on the high platform of the mausoleum, 

 the moisture glistened on the waving black and 

 white lines of the inlaid pavement, whose sym- 

 bolic ripples carry out an old Indian tradition, 

 so that the Taj, like many an ancient Hindu 

 shrine, stands in the centre of a tank. Here, on 

 most days, the glare of sunshine radiating up 

 from this dazzling pavement is quite blinding, 

 and all but obscures the lovely details of the 

 dado round the building ; but in the more 

 subdued light the inlaid borders and delicate 

 carving of the floral panels showed clearly. 

 This dado is one of the most charming examples 



