Niagara Falls 



1842 And the hills and uplands re-echo. 



pp elon The sunshine kindles its scales, 



And they kindle with opal and sapphire. 



It uplifts its tawny mane, 



With its undulations of silver, 



And tosses through showers of foam, 



Its flanks seamed with shadow and sunshine. 



Like the life of man is its course, 



Born far in some cloudy sierra, 



Dimpled and wayward and small, 



O'erleaped by the swerving roebuck ; 



But enlarging with mighty growth, 



And wearing wide lakes for its bracelets, 



It moves, the king of streams, 



As a man wears the crown of his manhood. 



It shouts to the loving fields, 



Which toss to it flowers and perfume; 



It eddies and winds round its isles, 



And its kisses thrill them with rapture ; 



Till it fights in its strength and o'ercomes 



The rocks which bar its progress. 



The earth hears its cries of rage, 



As it tramples them in its rushing. 



Leaping, exultant above 



And smiting them in derision; 



Till at length, its life fulfilled, 



Sublime in majestic calmness, 



It submits to death, and falls 



With a beauty it wins in dying, 



Still, wan, prone, till curtains of foam enclose it, 



To arise a spirit of mist, 



And return to the Heaven it came from. 



As deepens the night, all is changed, 

 And the joy of my dream is extinguished : 



732 



