The Sphinx, Vol. 14, No. 213

              March 2, 1907.
THE SPHINX.
52
THE GREEN TINTS OF SUNSET.
The appearance of a green light at sunset, like many other phenomena supposed to have only recently attracted attention, was noticed and commented upon by the ancient Egyptians, and more particularly so because in the clear air of Egypt the tints of sunset are peculiarly distinct.
As the sun there descends nearer to the horizon, apparently hastening to disappear behind one of the Libyan hills, as if burying itself in the sand at their base, the immensely enlarged flaming disc suddenly becomes, for an instant, of a brilliant green colour, and immediately a series of green rays suffuses the sky in many directions, well-nigh to the zenith.
The same phenomenon appears sometimes at sunrise, but to a smaller extent.
According to ancient Egyptian notions of cosmogony, the sun, after passing through the western gate into the world of night, travelled northward parallel to the Nile until the sixth hour, when it commenced to journey southward, having passed to the eastern side of Egypt, and, finally, at sunrise came forth by the “Gate of the East.”
Now, during the nocturnal voyage, the solar orb was said to be a disc of Mafkait, which was the title of a green-coloured mineral, and so the sun was considered from sunset to sunrise to be coloured green. Sometimes, just as the last part of the sun’s disc vanishes, its colour changes from green to blue, and so also after it has disappeared the sky near the horizon is often green, whilst toward the zenith it is blue. This was alluded to in ancient Egyptian writings, where sometimes it is said that at sunrise or sunset the sun’s rays were of Tahen, a blue metal, the title of which is often used in reference to the blue of the sky.
In Egyptian thought day was the emblem of life and night that of death, and the nocturnal sun being identified with Osiris thus rendered Osiris the god of the dead. The setting sun being green, therefore Osiris, as the nocturnal deity of the dead, was on the monuments and representations of him when referred to as god of the dead painted green, as were other funerary divinities, such as Sekar, the form of the dead Ptah, which was that of a mummy with face and hands coloured green or dark blue. The splendid coffins of the high priests of Ammon, all the decorative tableaux of which are painted, frequently depict the green sun, and deities such as Anubis, god of the funerary journey, Isis, Ne-phtys, and Osiris are coloured green.
It may be interesting, if possible, to decide whether the Egyptians recorded their observation of the green colour at sunset in very early times. The late M. Groff, who has treated upon this point in the Bulletin de I'lnstitut Egyptien, proved that they did so as early as the fifth dynasty, by showing that a monument of that date delineates the half disc of the setting sun by a figure painted in three successive bands, the two lower, that is to say, those abutting on the horizon of green, and the upper one of blue.
This is not the proper place to discuss the innumerable instances upon Egyptian relics of
representations relative to death being coloured green. It is undoubtedly the case that the practice arose from the green tints of sunset and sunrise, but it may justifiably be said that in the green-coloured sun disc referred to, which dates 5000 years back, we have the, at present, earliest known human record of an astronomical phenomenon.
Joseph Offord.
CLEOPATRA’S DEATH SONGS.
1. The Prayer.
Gods of my fathers, hear my supplication !
Isis, Osiris, hearken to my cry !
Egypt’s proud queen, in dread and desolation/ Pleads for thine and that queenly she may die, For now the end approaches—and is nigh.
Nerve me to stand, arrayed in shining splendour, Mocking the Roman with my latest breath,
Draining the cup. But, oh! let death be tender, Lulling to sleep that nought awakeneth.
Softly and sweetly come my solace—death !
Gods of my fathers, hear my supplication !
Isis, Osiris, hearken to my cry !
For now the end draws digit.
II.—The Farewell.
Fare thee well, dear days of glory,
Swift, sweet days beside the Nile!
Fraught with royal Egypt’s story,
None may claim ye, naught defile.
Nevermore those pageants’ splendour,
Nevermore those hours of bliss,
Nevermore those passions tender,
Nevermore my lover’s kiss !
Sinks the sun ’yond Nilus’ water,
Glowing blood-red o’er the sand :
Thus a Pharoah’s proudest daughter Sinks to earth at Rome’s command.
So, with spirit still unbroken,
Robed and cowned and jewelled yet,
Still she glows in queenly token That in blood her sun must set.
Antony, my king, my lover,
Lying cold ’neath yonder tomb !
For thine Egypt life is over—
See ! she seeks thy kindly doom.
Hark ! Rome’s legions march towards us,
Hear ! victorious trumpets swell:
Not in life shall Caesar lord us—
Egypt, Antony, farewell!
B. Macolm Ramsey.
OUR ENGLISH MILLINER.
Miss Alice Lambert, whose shop is exactly opposite the Savoy Hotel in the Sharia Kasr el Nil, is-turning out some very pretty spring hats in Dunstable and other straws for her English clientele. I noticed one lately in a soft black straw very wide and very short trimmed with folds of chiffon and satin with a couple of black wings,
which was very becoming and priced at a very moderate figure. There was another in fine grey Dunstable with a round bowler crown, the brim at one side being turned up to show a cluster of ostrich tips and grey roses ; and a third in dark blue straw had a somewhat high crown and was trimmed with quaint fat rosettes and a beautiful shaded blue feather.
Some of Miss Lambert’s evening headdresses are delightful. One is a tiny turban of blue twisted chiffon surmounted by a panache of uncurled ostrich feathers tipped with marabout. Another is formed of twists of gold velvet gathered together at the front under a bunch of tinsel roses, from which springs a black feather which curls low over the coiffure. Pink begonias give a becoming touch of colour to the tiny circlet of silver and black passementerie, which also boasts some long uncurled ostrich feathers ; and the tiniest and daintiest of theatre hats is composed of a handful of delicately shaded roses and forget-me-nots surmounted by a bunch of soft white paradis. Miss Lambert is doing great things in her dress-making business ; but as each costume goes home as soon as it is completed it is impossible to mention further details in this department.
^ ♦ mm ♦ «n ♦ mm ♦ «n» ♦	♦ mm ♦ mm * m * o» ♦ mm ♦ m> ♦ +4
S Roberts Hughes * Co.!
•	1
i	BOOT and SHOE
i	AND
1 Athletic Dealer*.
I Ladies and Gents Boots, &: Shoes of
•	Superior Quality in large Variety of Styles
and fittings.
EASY FITTING.
UP-TO-DATE MODELS.
Combined with durability are features in our footwear.
!	Sharia El-Manakh.	•
i BRITISH SPORTS and GAMES.;
1	LIBERALLY	CATERED FOR	*
•	Tennis, Croquet, Golf, Cricket Football Etc..
!	INDOOR	GAMES	■
I POLO STICKS made to pattern I
•	ROBERTS HUGHES* Co gest selection J
I of Tennis Rackets and Squash bats, represent- 2 . ing all the best English Manufacturers.
I	RACKETS	RE-STRUNG	}
•	SPORT DEPOT:	\
| Sharia Kasr-El-Nil CAIRO. •
£> ♦ mm ♦ m ♦ mm * mm * mm ♦ mm ♦ mm * m ♦ mm * mm * mm ♦

JOHN JAMESON’S
“ THREE STAR” Whiskey
( Pure Old Pot Still)
Pistillers by ^ppointrpent to H- M* THS
Sold at the best places throughout the World.
Sole Export Agents: CHARLES DAY & Co. Water Lane, London, •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••a
VA	UGH AN-JONE
“STANDARD”
OLD TOM GIN. LONDON DRY GIN
Ginger Brandy, Cherry Brandy, Orange Bitters, etc. Finest Qualities only.