Niagara Falls 



1838 No flesh can stop thy progress, no armies bid thee stay; 

 Buck.ngham g u ,. onwarc J — onward — onward — thy march still holds its 

 way 

 The rising mist that veils thee as thine herald goes before, 

 And the music that proclaims thee is the thundering cataracts' 

 roar. 



Thy diadem is an emerald green, of the clearest, purest hue, 

 Set round with waves of snow-white foam, and spray of feathery 



dew; 

 White tresses of the brightest pearls float o'er thine ample sheet, 

 And the rainbow lays its gorgeous gems in tribute at thy feet. 



Thy reign is of the ancient days, thy sceptre from on high, 

 Thy birth was when the morning stars together sang with joy: 

 The sun, the moon, and all the orbs that shine upon thee now, 

 Saw the first wreath of glory that enthron'd thy infant brow. 



And from that hour to this, in which I gaze upon thy stream, 

 From age to age — in winter's frost, or summer's sultry beam — 

 By day, by night — without a pause — thy waves, with loud 



acclaim, 

 In ceaseless sounds, have still proclaimed the Great Eternal's 



name. 



For whether on thy forest banks, the Indian of the wood, 



Or since his days, the Red Man's foe, on his father-land have 



stood — 

 Whoe'er has seen thine incense rise, or heard thy torrent roar, 

 Must have bent before the God of All ! to worship and adore. 



Accept then, O Supremely Great ! — O Infinite ! — O God ! 

 From this primeval altar — the green and virgin sod — 

 The humble homage that my soul in gratitude would pay 

 To Thee ! whose shield has guarded me through all my wander- 

 ing way. 



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