Poems (Linn)/A New Hampshire Pond
A NEW HAMPSHIRE POND.
BORDERED by birches white and tall, And pines that sob and sigh,Fair Norway pond, like some bright gemSet in a monarch's diadem, Smiles upward at the sky.
The high hills rise to meet the clouds Above its silvery wave;The grasses grow along the shore,And flowers bend its waters o'er, As if they homage gave.
Blue as the sky through summer days, At evening from the westThe sunset's kisses make it glow,And in the night the stars drop low To lie upon its breast.
Were it less fair, we'd love it still For its sweet lily-flowers,Looking to heaven with half-closed eyes,Like white souls sent from Paradise, To bless this world of ours.
O, tranquil waters deep and cool! May no storm ever riseHarder than autumn's gentle breezeThat brings bright flowers from the trees, Or moves the pines to sighs.
Reflecting back the summer sky, Wooed by the summer's breath;Thou holdest in that watery gloomThe mystery of the lilies' bloom, Life springing out of death.