﻿MODERN 
  SCENES 
  IN 
  THE 
  CRADLE 
  OF 
  CIVILIZATION 
  

  

  407 
  

  

  a 
  violence 
  that 
  makes 
  one 
  realize 
  that 
  

   only 
  by 
  the 
  sweat 
  of 
  many 
  brows 
  was 
  

   civilization 
  nurtured 
  here, 
  amid 
  natural 
  

   forces 
  against 
  which 
  modern 
  man 
  must 
  

   needs 
  renew 
  the 
  fight 
  if 
  the 
  land 
  is 
  once 
  

   more 
  to 
  blossom 
  as 
  the 
  rose, 
  with 
  crops 
  

   three-hundred-fold, 
  such 
  as 
  Herodotus 
  

   described. 
  

  

  MARSHES 
  MAY 
  BE 
  REDEEMED 
  

  

  Far 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  lies 
  the 
  plateau 
  which 
  

   stretches 
  from 
  the 
  Taurus 
  to 
  Mount 
  

   Ararat, 
  bitter 
  cold 
  in 
  winter, 
  though 
  with 
  

   a 
  clear 
  sky 
  which 
  makes 
  the 
  noon 
  de- 
  

   lightful, 
  even 
  beside 
  the 
  ruined 
  homes 
  of 
  

   Van. 
  In 
  spring, 
  warm 
  rains 
  descend, 
  the 
  

   summer 
  rushes 
  north, 
  and 
  heavy 
  snows 
  

   which 
  block 
  the 
  mountain 
  roads 
  melt 
  

   quickly 
  on 
  the 
  slopes, 
  from 
  many 
  of 
  which 
  

   the 
  forests 
  have 
  long 
  since 
  disappeared. 
  

  

  Through 
  the 
  rounding 
  country 
  of 
  As- 
  

   syria 
  and 
  the 
  Hittite 
  lands 
  the 
  Tigris 
  and 
  

   Euphrates 
  flow, 
  confined 
  by 
  cliffs 
  and 
  

   hills 
  to 
  comparatively 
  narrow 
  valleys; 
  

   but 
  at 
  the 
  fall-line 
  which 
  marked 
  the 
  

   boundary 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  difference 
  in 
  

   geographic 
  character 
  between 
  Assyria 
  

   and 
  Babylonia, 
  the 
  piled-up 
  waters 
  tend 
  

   to 
  spread 
  across 
  a 
  wide 
  alluvial 
  plain. 
  

  

  Once 
  the 
  floods 
  were 
  laboriously 
  tamed 
  

   and 
  turned 
  aside 
  to 
  reservoirs 
  and 
  there 
  

   impounded 
  against 
  a 
  later 
  need; 
  but 
  even 
  

   then 
  the 
  lower 
  plain 
  was 
  so 
  submerged 
  

   that 
  dikes 
  were 
  built 
  to 
  save 
  the 
  towns 
  

   and 
  fields 
  from 
  devastating 
  waters. 
  Now 
  

   the 
  old 
  canals 
  are 
  clogged 
  with 
  silt 
  and 
  

   useless 
  marshes 
  occupy 
  the 
  fields 
  where 
  a 
  

   hungry 
  world 
  might 
  win 
  back 
  a 
  spreading 
  

   granary. 
  

  

  Slowly 
  the 
  rivers 
  are 
  carrying 
  down 
  

   their 
  delta 
  to 
  the 
  sea 
  and 
  pushing 
  back 
  

   its 
  tides 
  ; 
  but 
  man 
  has 
  not 
  kept 
  pace 
  with 
  

   this 
  slow 
  growth 
  nor 
  claimed 
  the 
  land 
  

   thus 
  made. 
  Optimists 
  see 
  the 
  day 
  when 
  

   the 
  twin 
  rivers, 
  once 
  more 
  tamed, 
  will 
  

   bring 
  prosperity 
  through 
  irrigation 
  and 
  

   drainage 
  directed 
  by 
  Western 
  engineers. 
  

  

  Wrestling 
  with 
  the 
  raging 
  waters 
  and 
  

   tried 
  by 
  the 
  heat 
  and 
  cold 
  of 
  a 
  savage 
  

   climate, 
  the 
  Babylonians 
  not 
  only 
  became 
  

   strong, 
  but 
  came 
  to 
  understand 
  the 
  irriga- 
  

   tion 
  problems 
  higher 
  up 
  the 
  rivers, 
  and 
  

   thus 
  sought 
  to 
  extend 
  their 
  sway 
  over 
  

   the 
  region 
  where 
  the 
  water 
  supply 
  could 
  

   be 
  stored 
  up. 
  

  

  The 
  rivers 
  offered 
  life 
  and 
  peace 
  in 
  

   return 
  for 
  toil, 
  and 
  man 
  gradually 
  con- 
  

  

  quered 
  natural 
  forces 
  until 
  great 
  cities 
  

   rose 
  above 
  the 
  wide 
  clay 
  plain 
  and 
  muddy 
  

   floods. 
  Sumer, 
  Akkad, 
  Babylonia, 
  As- 
  

   syria 
  grew 
  through 
  toil 
  and 
  held 
  their 
  

   position 
  through 
  constant 
  vigilance 
  on 
  the 
  

   part 
  of 
  their 
  people 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  day 
  came 
  

   when 
  man, 
  at 
  war 
  with 
  other 
  men, 
  with- 
  

   drew 
  his 
  supervision. 
  Silt 
  and 
  flood 
  came 
  

   down 
  to 
  drown 
  the 
  city 
  states 
  and 
  hide 
  

   their 
  corpses 
  under 
  shapeless 
  mounds. 
  

  

  When 
  one 
  enters 
  the 
  Shat-el-Arab 
  and 
  

   passes 
  through 
  the 
  swamps 
  that 
  lie 
  below 
  

   Abadan, 
  he 
  realizes 
  that 
  here 
  the 
  com- 
  

   bined 
  Tigris 
  and 
  Euphrates 
  have 
  spewed 
  

   forth 
  their 
  load 
  of 
  silt 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   centuries 
  until 
  the 
  shore-line 
  of 
  the 
  Per- 
  

   sian 
  Gulf 
  has 
  retreated 
  for 
  a 
  hundred 
  

   miles. 
  

  

  Ocean 
  liners 
  run 
  up 
  to 
  Basra, 
  a 
  mod- 
  

   ern, 
  bustling 
  port 
  on 
  the 
  Shat-el-Arab. 
  

   Here 
  one 
  is 
  shown 
  the 
  house 
  of 
  Sinbad 
  

   the 
  Sailor, 
  for 
  traditions 
  live 
  longer 
  than 
  

   human 
  beings 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  feverish 
  land, 
  and 
  

   the 
  visitor 
  can 
  picture 
  a 
  scene 
  which 
  has 
  

   not 
  changed 
  since 
  the 
  Caliphs 
  ruled 
  ; 
  but 
  

   as 
  one 
  listens 
  to 
  a 
  camel 
  roaring 
  a 
  useless 
  

   protest 
  in 
  the 
  bazaars, 
  the 
  deep 
  whistle 
  

   of 
  a 
  modern 
  steamship 
  booms 
  forth 
  to 
  

   remind 
  one 
  that 
  the 
  twentieth 
  century 
  

   cannot 
  wait 
  for 
  dreams. 
  

  

  A 
  LAND 
  OE 
  COEOR 
  AND 
  DREAMS 
  

  

  Bagdad, 
  with 
  its 
  melons 
  and 
  kufas, 
  

   desert 
  Arabs 
  and 
  veiled 
  women, 
  whose 
  

   veils 
  are 
  becoming 
  distressingly 
  thin, 
  de- 
  

   serves 
  a 
  story 
  of 
  its 
  own. 
  

  

  Here 
  and 
  there 
  in 
  old 
  Bagdad 
  itself 
  

   we 
  have 
  seen 
  tiled 
  doorways 
  and 
  domes 
  

   that 
  hint 
  of 
  loveliness 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  wholly 
  

   gone; 
  but 
  when 
  the 
  twilight 
  comes 
  and 
  

   one 
  looks 
  west 
  above 
  the 
  flat 
  mud 
  roofs 
  

   of 
  the 
  city, 
  one 
  sees, 
  across 
  the 
  Tigris, 
  

   the 
  golden 
  domes 
  and 
  minarets 
  which 
  rise 
  

   above 
  the 
  mosque 
  of 
  Kazemain. 
  

  

  Upon 
  those 
  domes, 
  outlined 
  as 
  black 
  as 
  

   night 
  against 
  the 
  sunset 
  sky, 
  one 
  marks 
  

   the 
  crescent, 
  which 
  lies 
  like 
  a 
  kiss 
  from 
  

   heaven 
  on 
  their 
  matchless 
  curve 
  ; 
  and 
  then 
  

   one 
  realizes 
  why 
  this 
  ancient 
  land 
  is 
  still 
  

   Irak 
  and 
  why 
  an 
  Arab 
  noble, 
  wearing 
  

   desert 
  garb, 
  there 
  rules 
  as 
  king. 
  Mesopo- 
  

   tamia, 
  rescued 
  though 
  it 
  be 
  by 
  engineer- 
  

   ing 
  skill 
  which 
  shall 
  reclaim 
  the 
  marshes 
  

   and 
  supplant 
  the 
  creaking 
  water-hoists, 
  

   will 
  still 
  remain 
  the 
  East, 
  the 
  land 
  of 
  

   color 
  and 
  of 
  dreams. 
  

  

  