Music — Poetry — Fiction 

 O'er-powering, o'ertowering, spray-showering and scouring 1893 



T 1 • 1- l • l • Bickford 



It trips, and it slips, and it grips, and it rips, 

 It muffles, and shuffles, and ruffles, and scuffles, 

 Portrays, and delays, and dismays whilst it sways, 

 And spangles, and tangles, and angles, and wrangles, 

 It beats, and it cheats, and it fleets, and retreats, 

 and so forth. 



1886 



WARD, JAMES WARNER. To Niagara. (In Niagara river and 1886 

 Falls. Buffalo: Thos. F. Fryer. 1886. Plate CIII. Also in The Ward 

 poets and poetry of Buffalo, ed. by Ina Russelle Warren. Buffalo: 

 Charles W. Moulton. N. D. P. 24.) 



Rapt and amazed, midst scenes of rarest loveliness, 

 Stand I alone, entranced, in awe and ecstasy 

 Gazing in silence o'er the cliffs precipitous, 

 Whence, with united front, thy waters ponderous 

 Tranquilly take their giant leap, Niagara ! 



Forward declining, wreathed in conscious majesty, 

 Shimmering spray and jewelled drop, tossed back from thee, 

 Wave pressed to wave in serried ranks, as, steadily, 

 Man against man, sweeps on a line of infantry, — 

 Into the vertex rolls thy flood intrepidly. 



In the fierce rapids, many a sharp rock, secretly, 

 Under thy foaming current lay in wait for thee, 

 Gashing and tearing thy rent bosom wantonly ; 

 Loveliest of Rivers, sad and dire similitude, 

 So in life's breakers strives man's heart with destiny. 



Tossed in the raging stream by waves impetuous, — 

 Glamor of hope and youthful dreams deserting it, — 

 So have we seen, — ah River wild and beautiful, 

 Art thou not here of " fortune's buffets " typical? — 

 Under life's chaos sinks heart-broke humanity. 



843 



