ALLUSIONS

TO THE ELEPHANT

Bearer of the Obelisk.

A new machine sustains the ancient mass of Egypt,
And the docile Beast bears a learned burden.
Thus the Prince adorns and instructs the Romulean City;
He restores things unearthed, and makes them new.

Here where the descendants of Romulus once worshipped Minerva,
The ancient Elephant bears the treasures of Pallas;
How much the wisdom of the Pontiff benefits the City!
He instructs by adorning, he who wisely loves.

Barbarian wisdom, sculpted in monstrous figures,
Heaps upon the vast backs of the turret-bearing beast.
For whom does the Elephant carry this? He bears the learned gifts of Minerva;
Though made of stone, he is wise through the genius of the Prince.

The Obelisk tells of monsters: wisdom lies hidden in the monsters,
The beast, which bears the mass, is itself wise.
Foreign tributes come to ancient Minerva;
Under ALEXANDER, even the monsters themselves worship her.

What wise Memphis inscribed upon the marbles in monsters,
The Barbarian Earth brought forth as its own genius.
That which stood heavy with learned weight before Minerva here,
The learned Beast has also brought forth its own genius.

A decorative floral ornament featuring three blooming flowers with leaves and stems, centered at the bottom of the text block.