. St. Nicholas [serial] . moonlight nightthat Venice ismost the lightsalong the quayadjoining theDoges Palaceshow throngs oflaughing peo-ple; the ancientmansions thatline the GrandCanal seem tobe gazing calm-ly down at theirbroken reflec-tions in the darkwater, and themoon rides highin the heavensabove the whitedome of thechurch of OurLady of Salva-tion. Sudden-ly the soft strainsof sweet musicfill the air. Theycome from alarge boat, allaglow with gaycolors and lan-terns. It floatsalong the center of the Grand Canal. The crowdon the quay cease chattering and laughing for aninsta
. St. Nicholas [serial] . moonlight nightthat Venice ismost the lightsalong the quayadjoining theDoges Palaceshow throngs oflaughing peo-ple; the ancientmansions thatline the GrandCanal seem tobe gazing calm-ly down at theirbroken reflec-tions in the darkwater, and themoon rides highin the heavensabove the whitedome of thechurch of OurLady of Salva-tion. Sudden-ly the soft strainsof sweet musicfill the air. Theycome from alarge boat, allaglow with gaycolors and lan-terns. It floatsalong the center of the Grand Canal. The crowdon the quay cease chattering and laughing for aninstant, the balconies of the hotels fill with eager AN ANTIQUE STAIRWAY IN A PRIVATEPALACE. 622 VENICE. 623 3S§ffSw J fill i-^^. A CANAL IN VENICE. listeners, and the fleet gondolas which havebeen darting about in the moonlight clusterquickly around the boat, where a boy is singingto the accompaniment of two or three stringedinstruments. The young Venetians beautiful voice risesclear and strong on the still night air as he singsan Italian love-song. To many of his hearershis words are without meaning, but the languageof music is universal: a singer needs no inter-preter; so the stranger, as he leans back on thecushioned seat of his gondola, understands as well as the native. All discordant sounds arehushed; only a faint murmur from the peopleon the quay, the soft rubbing of one gunwaleagainst another as the gondolas snuggle closelytogether, and the lapping of the ripples minglewith the singing to make it different from anythat the listener has heard elsewhere. But everafterward, when the music of that song flashesthrough his memory, as music has a way ofdoing, he will see again the moonlight and thedark canal,
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Keywords: ., bookauthordodgemar, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookyear1873
