[Vocabulary] enter the river that is trade

[sherishine]

"In the street of imported parrots in Cairo one is hectored by almost articulate birds. The birds bark and whistle in rows, like a plumed avenue. I knew which tribe had travelled which silk or camel road carrying them in their petite palanquins across the deserts. Forty-day journeys, after the birds were caught by slaves or picked like flowers in equatorial gardens and then placed in bamboo cages to enter the river that is trade. They appeared like brides in a mediaeval courtship. "




:?: Could you tell me what the blue words mean?

 

[Tetiana_KPI]

Probably, it is the river which was used for delivering/selling/buying goods.

 

[sherishine]

Thank you

But I don't understand why they had to go to a river to trade?

 

[Tdol]

It could be metaphorical- the flow of goods being traded.

 

[sherishine]

Thank you Tdol.

I thought it is a metaphor. Yet, I am not sure about the grammar, the wording here.

"the river that is trade"

I think it has omitted some words, what does " that is trade" mean?

 

[Tdol]

Try changing the word order- the river that trade is