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(Excerpt)
FLOW on, thou glorious river, | |
| Thy mountain-shores between, | |
| To where the Mexique’s stormy waves | |
| Dash on savannas green. | |
| Flow on, between the forests | 5 |
| That bend above thy side, | |
| And ’neath the sky and stars, that lie | |
| Mirrored within thy tide. | |
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| High in the distant mountains | |
| Thy first small fountains gush, | 10 |
| And down the steep, through the ravine, | |
| In shallow rills they rush; | |
| Till in the level valley, | |
| To which the hills descend, | |
| Converging from the summits, meet | 15 |
| The thousand rills, and blend. | |
| And soon the narrow mountain stream, | |
| O’er which a child might leap, | |
| Holds on its course with a giant’s force, | |
| In a channel broad and deep. | 20 |
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| High up among the mountains, | |
| The fisher boy is seen, | |
| Alone and lounging in the shade, | |
| Along the margin green; | |
| And not a sound disturbs him, save | 25 |
| A squirrel or a bird. | |
| Or on the autumn leaves the noise | |
| “Of dropping nuts is heard.” | |
| But here the city crowds upon | |
| The freedom of the wave, | 30 |
| And many a happy village bank | |
| Thy flowing waters lave. | |
| Upon thy tranquil bosom floats | |
| An empire’s burdened keels, | |
| And every tributary stream | 35 |
| An empire’s wealth reveals. | |
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| Flow on, thou mighty river! | |
| High-road of nations, flow! | |
| And thou shalt flow, when all the woods | |
| Upon thy sides are low. | 40 |
| Yes, thou shalt flow eternally, | |
| Though on thy peopled shore | |
| The rising town and dawning state | |
| Should sink to rise no more. * * * * * | |
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