Thursday, September 29, 2011

Lake Superior by Samuel Griswold Goodrich


Father of Lakes! thy waters bend,
Beyond the eagle's utmost view,
When, throned in heaven, he sees thee send
Back to the sky its world of blue.

Boundless and deep the forests weave
Their twilight shade thy borders o'er,
And threatening cliffs, like giants, heave
Their rugged forms along thy shore.

Nor can the light canoes, that glide
Across thy breast like things of air,
Chase from thy lone and level tide,
The spell of stillness deepening there.

Yet round this waste of wood and wave,
Unheard, unseen, a spirit lives,
That, breathing o'er each rock and cave,
To all, a wild, strange aspect gives.

The thunder-riven oak, that flings
Its grisly arms athwart the sky,
A sudden, startling image brings
To the lone traveller's kindled eye.

The gnarled and braided boughs that show
Their dim forms in the forest shade,
Like wrestling serpents seem, and throw
Fantastic horrors through the glade.

The very echoes round this shore,
Have caught a strange and gibbering tone,
For they have told the war-whoop o'er,
Till the wild chorus is their own.

Wave of the wilderness, adieu--
Adieu, ye rocks, ye wilds, ye woods!
Roll on, thou Element of blue,
And fill these awful solitudes!

Thou hast no tale to tell of man.
God is thy theme. Ye sounding caves,
Whisper of Him, whose mighty plan,
Deems as a bubble all your waves!
-

9 comments:

Jeannelle said...

Beautiful SkyWatch photo! It does double duty as a lovely lake watch scene, also!

Tatjana Parkacheva said...

Wonderful photography.

Regards and best wishes

Liz said...

Beautiful capture. Happy sky watching.

Storm Surge
Full Moon

Pearl Maple said...

Beautifully matched view and words, that mix of rough rugged rocks and pretty water views is nature at its best.

Steffi said...

Great shot for SWF and beautiful words!!Have a nice weekend!

Sylvia K said...

A gorgeous place it is! I was awe struck the first time I saw it! And such perfect and beautiful words -- you do have a knack for finding the perfect match of words and places! Have a wonderful weekend!

Sylvia

Alexander said...

Beautiful shot and what a scene to frame. Very nice surroundings.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Alexander
Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

Secret Mom Thoughts said...

Gorgeous lake shot.

Anonymous said...

A lovely shot - so peaceful.