Song of the River

Charles Kingsley (1819–1875)

CLEAR and cool, clear and cool,

By laughing shallow and dreaming pool;

Cool and clear, cool and clear,

By shining shingle and foaming weir;

Under the crag where the ouzel sings,

And the ivied wall where the church-bell rings,

Undefiled for the undefiled;

Play by me, bathe in me, mother and child!

Dank and foul, dank and foul,

By the smoky town in its murky cowl;

Foul and dank, foul and dank,

By wharf, and sewer, and slimy bank;

Darker and darker the further I go.

Baser and baser the richer I grow;

Who dare sport with the sin-defiled?

Shrink from me, turn from me, mother and child!

Strong and free, strong and free,

The flood-gates are open, away to the sea:

Free and strong, free and strong,

Cleansing my streams as I hurry along

To the golden sands and the leaping bar,

And the taintless tide that awaits me afar,

As I lose myself in the infinite main,

Like a soul that has sinned and is pardoned again,

Undefiled for the undefiled;

Play by me, bathe in me, mother and child!