A wind from the south

A wind from the South blows by, its fragrant breath a mixture of jasmine laced with lemon blossoms, evoking a montage of bright scenes: hummingbirds and wild canaries; bougainvillea, like red and purple Chinese lanterns -- scenes from a sunlit window. And I am reminded of the Arab guiding Lawrence of Arabia through an ancient palace, each room perfumed with a different flower fragrance, who, as they came to the last one, stood by a broken casement sniffing the hot scent of the distant desert and said, ``This one is the sweetest smell of all.''