The Falls. S. A. Crittenden. Southern States: Reedy River, S. C. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. 1876-79. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes. America: Vols. XXV-XXIX

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
America: Vols. XXV–XXIX. 1876–79.

Southern States: Reedy River, S. C.

The Falls

S. A. Crittenden


THE SUN looked o’er the eastern steep,
Where mountain breezes freely sweep,
To greet the hurrying flood,
That breaks in many a foamy line,
Breaks, but to laughingly combine	5
In sweet, coquettish mood.

We stood upon the shelving shore,
With scenes of beauty spread before,
Touched by the master’s hand,—
The glancing light, the sparkling dew,	10
The living green, the upper blue,
The mountains old and grand.

The dancing waters at our feet
Stayed not, our eager souls to greet,
But ever hastened on.	15
They sparkled in the morning light
One moment, then were lost to sight,
Gone! ah, forever gone!

This life is but a restless stream,
And fitful lights may sometimes gleam	20
Where shadows soon must be;
Stern rocks will break the silent flow,
And fret the waters as they go
To that eternal sea.