Poems, Sacred, Passionate, and Legendary (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 22 TO THE RIVER SACO. TO THE RIVER SACO. HErlttm at t(ie JFalla. Thou, mountain-born ! that gushing from the height, Widening and deepening in thine onward flow; Here hurlest thy waters headlong in thy might, Down dashing 'mid the jagged rocks below, As leaps the maddened war horse on the foe? And rushing ever onward to the sea, Strong as thou wert a thousand years ago, Beneath the stars that first companioned thee; Exhaustless through all time?type of eternity ! How, through each age has earth with change been rife, Since on thy wave primeval morning lay? Whole hecatombs have bled amid the strife, Empires have risen, flourished, passed away, And new-born states sprung full-armed into day? Centuries that saw thy tireless waters roll, Adown thy vigorous tide have swept for aye; But thou still urgest onward to the goal, As if He who outpoured had filled thee with a soul. Where now the tinkling herd-bell smites the air, High o'er thy murmurs rang the war-whoop dire; When, the red Indian's hunting grounds to share The pale-face came?and rose the chiefs in ire: They struggled long and perished, son and sire. THE CHAIN OP THB FOB. 23 Where late the crouching panther made his lair, Gleams in the sunlight many a village spire? The settler's axe has laid the forest bare, The Indian's council fire is quenched for ever there. But thou remainest?thou, and yon enthroned hills, And crowned with morning, ere yet night opaque Lifts her dun mantle from the swelling rills. Here roamed of old the gaunt wolf through the brake, And on his prey leapt forth the glittering snake. Erewhiles the deer to thy cool wave below, At hot noon panting hied, his thirst to slake; Unmindful all where swift above thy flow, The deadly shaft w...