Lawrence of Arabia, Zionism and Palestine - The World War I ...

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA 35
There was nothing else in the mortuary chamber but a
little altar behind his head with some lilies of the valley
and red roses. I had come prepared to be greatly
shocked by what I saw, but his injuries had been at the
back of his head, and beyond some scarring and discoloration
over the left eye, his countenance was not
marred. His nose was sharper and delicately curved,
and his chin less square. Seen thus, his face was the face
of Dante with perhaps the more relentless mouth of
Savonarola ; incredibly calm, with the faintest flicker of
disdain. The rhythmic planes of his features gradually
became the symbolized impression of all mankind,
moulded by an inexorable destiny. Nothing of his
hair, nor of his hands was showing; only a powerful
cowled mask, dark-stained ivory alive against the deadwhite
chemical sterility of the wrappings. It was somehow
unreal to be watching beside him in these cerements,
so strangely resembling the aba, the kuffiya and the aqàl
of an Arab Chief, as he lay in his last littlest room very
grave and strong and noble. Selfish, to be alone with
this splendour; I was sorry, too late, that neither
fertque refertque sonans clipeumque everberat alis.
illi membra novus solvit formidine torpor. ..."
E'en thus the deadly child of night
Shot from the sky with earthward flight.
Soon as the armies and the town
Descending, she descries,
She dwarfs her huge proportion down
To bird of puny size,
Which perched on tombs or desert towers
Hoots long and lone through darkling hours:
In such disguise the monster wheeled
Round Turnus' head and 'gainst his shield
Unceasing flapped her wings:
Strange chilly dread his limbs unstrung:
Upstands his hair: his voiceless tongue
To his parched palate clings.
(Conington's translation.)
Turnus was of the clan Laurens :
"non fuit excepto Laurentis corpore Turni."
(Aen. vii, 650.)