High over the hills of Habersham,
Veiling the valleys of Hall,
The hickory told me manifold
Fair tales of shade, the poplar tall
Wrought me her shadowy self to hold,
The chestnut, the oak, the walnut, the pine,
Overleaning, with flickering meaning and sign,
Said, Pass not so cold these manifold
Deep shades of the hills of Habersham,
These glades in the valleys of Hall.
And oft in the hills of Habersham,
And oft in the valleys of Hall,
The white quartz shone, and the smooth brookstone
Barred^ me of passage with friendly brawl,
And many a metal lay sad, alone, 2
And the diamond, the garnet, the amethyst,
And the crystal that prisons a purple mist,
Showed lights like my own from each cordial stone
In the clefts of the hills of Habersham,
In the beds of the valleys of Hall.
But oh, not the hills of Habersham,
And oh, not the valleys of Hall,
Shall hinder the rain from attaining the plain/
For downward the voices of duty call
Downward to toil and be mixed with the main.
h. Changed to "did bar."
i. This and the three following lines changed to
And many a luminous jewel lone
Crystals clear or a-cloud with mist,
Ruby, garnet, and amethyst
Made lures with the lightnings of streaming stone.
/. Changed to "Avail! I am fain for to water the plain."
Page:Southern Life in Southern Literature.djvu/438
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SOUTHERN LIFE IN SOUTHERN LITERATURE