Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882). Complete Poetical Works. 1893.
Ballads and Other PoemsTo the River Charles
R
Through the meadows, bright and free,
Till at length thy rest thou findest
In the bosom of the sea!
Half in rest, and half in strife,
I have seen thy waters stealing
Onward, like the stream of life
Many a lesson, deep and long;
Thou hast been a generous giver;
I can give thee but a song.
I have watched thy current glide,
Till the beauty of its stillness
Overflowed me, like a tide.
When I saw thy waters gleam,
I have felt my heart beat lighter,
And leap onward with thy stream.
Nor because thy waves of blue
From celestial seas above thee
Take their own celestial hue.
And thy waters disappear,
Friends I love have dwelt beside thee,
And have made thy margin dear.
Of three friends, all true and tried;
And that name, like magic, binds me
Closer, closer to thy side.
How like quivering flames they start,
When I fan the living embers
On the hearth-stone of my heart!
That my spirit leans to thee;
Thou hast been a generous giver,
Take this idle song from me.