Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Africa: Vol. XXIV. 1876–79.

Central and Southern Africa: Cape Colony

The Rock of Elks

By Thomas Pringle (1789–1834)

DEEP in the forest lies hid a green dell,

Where fresh from the Rock of Elks blue waters swell;

And fast by that fountain a yellow-wood tree,

Which shelters the spot that is dearest to me.

Down by the streamlet my heifers are grazing;

Prone o’er the clear pool the herd-boy is gazing;

Under the shade my beloved is singing,—

The shade of the tree where her cradle is swinging.

When I come from the hill as the daylight is fading,

Though spent with the chase, and the game for my lading,

My nerves are new-strung, and my light heart is swelling,

As I gaze from the Rock of Elks over my dwelling.