A RETROSPECT. 



^HERE the Androscoggin rises, 



'Mid the waving pines of Maine, 

 ^ Rushes o'er its pebbly bottom, 



Swelled by spring and autumn rain, 

 Four charming lakes of wide expanse, 

 Lie sheltered by the leaf-clad hills ; 

 Whose sparkling waters gather strength 

 From coolest spring and clearest rills. 



Beneath their waves, the wary trout 



Cleave the clear water as they play, 

 Or tempted by the bright-winged fly, 



Dart to the surface for their prey. 

 The screaming loon, betokening storm, 



Swift cuts the air in stately flight, 

 Or proudly sailing with the breeze, 



Dives to escape the fowler's sight. 



On the green banks, the lofty trees 

 Fling out their branches to the sky, 



209 



