Colors from the Sweet Land of Lebanon: Jbeil

... What city among the cities of the world was "Jbeil"?

She bore upon her head the Phoenician crown, and bore the treasures of ancient history, and the most precious pages that history holds ....

Gods and sons of gods ...

Kings and sons of kings ...

Priests and lovers, youths and maidens ...

... She was great among cities ..

But today she is ruins that speak to you in silence of that great history ...

The history of a people distinguished from the rest of the Semitic peoples by its bent toward peace and building, its devotion to industry and trade, and its braving of the terrors of the seas ..

In this city, everything speaks to you:

The tombs, the tombs of the kings ...

The black stones ...

It is as though you heard in her the songs of the maidens and the youths, moving in the funeral laments and the weddings.

The laments of kings,

and the weddings of gods

.. as though you were watching the festivals, and the champions grappling with the bulls in the arenas ...

The great city — nothing remains of her but ruin ....