Precious Stones in Literature

Milton, in "Paradise Lost," describes the Fiend on his wanderings:--

"Far distant he descries

Ascending by degrees magnificent

Up to the wall of heaven a structure high;

At top whereof, but far more rich, appear'd

The work as of a kingly palace-gate,

With frontispiece of diamond and gold

Embellish'd; thick with sparkling orient gems

The portal shone, inimitable on earth

By model, or by shading pencil drawn."

Underneath the Angels' stair at the Gate of Heaven--

"A bright sea flow'd

Of jasper, or of liquid pearl."

In Taylor's "Golden Grove," there is a striking passage in the "Meditation on Heaven":--

"That bright eternity,

Where the great King's transparent throne

Is of an entire jasper stone;

There the eye

O'the chrysolite,

And a sky

Of diamonds, rubies, and chrysoprase,

And, above all, Thy holy face,

Make an eternal clarity.

When Thou Thy jewels dost bind up, that day

Remember us, we pray.

That where the beryl lies,

And the crystal 'bove the skies,

There Thou mayst appoint us a place

Within the brightness of Thy face;

And our soul

In the scroll

Of life and blissfulness enroll,

That we may praise Thee to eternity."

Lucian, in his very curious "True History," the real origin of so many fabulous voyages and travels, brings his adventurers, after a visit to the moon, to the Island of the Blessed, where the city has palaces of gold and ramparts of emerald; its gates are of cinnamon-wood; its pavements are of ivory; its temples are built of beryl, with altars of amethyst.

As an imagery of beauty and excellence, we find precious stones employed in the description of some fair spots of the earth. Thus, Damascus is called by the Orientals the pearl girded with emeralds, on account of the beautiful gardens that surround its whitened walls.

So we have Ireland, the emerald isle, first gem of the sea. Thomas Moore, writing from Bermuda, describes

"Those leafy isles upon the ocean thrown,

Like studs of emerald o'er a silver zone."

The Caliph Omar (A.D. 638) required his lieutenant Amrou to give him a description of Egypt. Amongst other matters, he stated that, "according to the vicissitudes of the seasons, the face of the country is adorned with a silver wave, a verdant emerald, and the deep yellow of a golden harvest."

Milton, in "Comus," mentions--

"All the seagirt isles

That, like to rich and various gems, inlay