Cordoba

A tribute to the city of Cordoba, Spain.

Beneath the drifting clouds that hover above,
Lies a wonderful city there to swiftly discover,
Where ancient civilisations and cultures reign'd,
Beyond the foothills of the Sierra Mountains.

Where emperors and caliphs conquer'd before,
Poets and scribes enrich'd a history to uncover,
In the narrow alleyways and cobblestones nigh,
By the lovely squares with Moorish fountains.

Cathedrals with Gothic ceilings and florid retables,
To boast the beauty of the architectural magnificence,
And Renaissant towers with many impressive windows,
With the porticos of interlacing columns by the fronds.

Pillars of splendour and arches of voussoirs adorn'd,
In grandeur and a synagogue with sephardic elegance,
As mosaic palaces and majestic castles shelter'd there, 
The labyrinths of cypress trees interspers'd by ponds.

To be seen are Roman temples with Corinthian siles,
And mausoleums built in delicate cylindrical measure,
Beyond the courtyards bedeck'd with orange blooms,
That flourish the palatine wonder of Madinat al Zahira.

Austere medieval walls enclose the old quarter ahead,
As cisterns and runnels allow waters to flow in leisure,
By the bridge of Augustus and the Guadalquivir River,
Where lie the ashlars leading to the gateway of Córdoba.