Solomon's Song by Roberta Kells Dorr
Author:Roberta Kells Dorr [Dorr, Roberta Kells]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
ISBN: 978-0-8024-8492-5
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Published: 2014-12-15T00:00:00+00:00
To Solomon and Nathan, who had spent their lives in a rugged, mountainous region, Bubastis, the home of Egyptâs new ruling dynasty was a great surprise. The delta land was flat and verdant, with canals and waterways running like blue threads through its variegated tapestry. It was astonishing to the princes to learn that these people never needed to depend on the rain. The yearly inundation of the land by the Nile, and the constant supply of water to irrigate, freed them most of the time from the fear of drought and famine.
As one of the young Egyptian princes explained, âWhen we see the Dog Star Sirius on the southern horizon at daybreak, we know the Nile is ready to rise. We need no other water.â
Flowers grew everywhere, giving the air a constant fragranceâbut one that changed with every hour of the day. Lotus and chrysanthemum, mandrake and roses spilled in great profusion over walkways and climbed the ancient stone trellises. At night there was the pleasant mingling of all these various odors, with the heady addition of jasmine and tuberose.
The sounds were also delightfully varied. In the morning Solomon and Nathan awoke to the cooing of pigeons mingled with the creaking of waterwheels and the slow splashing of oars as some unknown boat made its way down to Memphis. At night they were lulled to sleep by the muffled sound of high, sweet voices mixed with the tinkling bells of the sistrum being shaken in a distant courtyard. Now and then they heard the piercingly sweet notes of a nightingale.
Life was relaxed and leisurely for the young princes. They had been given rooms in one of the many guesthouses in Pharaohâs garden and were treated with the respect due their position. The Egyptians hadnât forgotten that the Hebrews had been their slaves, and it was difficult for them to get over some preconceived ideas they held about them. One of the Egyptian princes admitted that he had thought of them as barbaric goat herders who were fanatically religious.
The Egyptians, curious about life in Israel, were full of questions. They were surprised to learn that the Israelites enjoyed many feast days that were celebrated with dancing and singing, and even kept one day out of seven as a day of rest. In Egypt the new day began with sunrise in the morning, and they all laughed to find that in Jerusalem and all of Israel the new day was counted from sunset the night before.
They were also amazed to find that their former slaves were almost as concerned about cleanliness as they were themselves. âWe always wash before eating and bathe on the Sabbath before prayers,â Nathan told one of the princes.
Most of all, the young Egyptian princes found it hard to believe that the Israelites worshiped only one God. They couldnât imagine how one God could be everyplace, taking care of all the people at once. It was much better, they argued, to have gods that were in charge of only one village or one aspect of life.
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
