“THE HEARTS OF THESE OLD MOUNTAINS.”MAN AND THE MOUNTAIN.
“THE HEARTS OF THESE OLD MOUNTAINS.”
“THE HEARTS OF THESE OLD MOUNTAINS.”
“THE HEARTS OF THESE OLD MOUNTAINS.”
ByWILLIAM T. SAWARD.
Menwho dwell beside the rivers!Ye who build eternal towers—Empire-makers, poets, heroes—Ye who chain the vivid lightning,Till the rocks, and span the ocean,Make th’ unfriendly desert smile!See, afar, the peaks of ages,Lifting tempting hands to heaven!Beckoning to the lowly-dwellers,“You have conquered all the agesWith your wondrous kingly minds!”Here, your broadly flowing rivers,In the hearts of these old mountains,Leap to birth, and give you life!Here the winds take sudden refuge,Here the stars spell out their secrets,And the heavens speak to us!Here is solemn meditation,Dignity and peace majestic;Time unmoves us, and the currentsOf the spheres that roll above us,Beat eternal harmonies!Ask the eagle of its freedom,Ask the gentian of its blueness,Ask the torrent of its swiftness,Ask the lovers’ edelweiss!They will answer, “River-dwellers,While you toil among the vineyards,Fret and toil, and age with fretting,There’s a music in these mountainsYe have never, never heard!”Winds that beat across the ocean,Wand’ring stars and clouds that kiss us,Bring your broken, sobbing musicTo our feet, and die, confessing—“This is greatness, this is rest!”
Menwho dwell beside the rivers!Ye who build eternal towers—Empire-makers, poets, heroes—Ye who chain the vivid lightning,Till the rocks, and span the ocean,Make th’ unfriendly desert smile!See, afar, the peaks of ages,Lifting tempting hands to heaven!Beckoning to the lowly-dwellers,“You have conquered all the agesWith your wondrous kingly minds!”Here, your broadly flowing rivers,In the hearts of these old mountains,Leap to birth, and give you life!Here the winds take sudden refuge,Here the stars spell out their secrets,And the heavens speak to us!Here is solemn meditation,Dignity and peace majestic;Time unmoves us, and the currentsOf the spheres that roll above us,Beat eternal harmonies!Ask the eagle of its freedom,Ask the gentian of its blueness,Ask the torrent of its swiftness,Ask the lovers’ edelweiss!They will answer, “River-dwellers,While you toil among the vineyards,Fret and toil, and age with fretting,There’s a music in these mountainsYe have never, never heard!”Winds that beat across the ocean,Wand’ring stars and clouds that kiss us,Bring your broken, sobbing musicTo our feet, and die, confessing—“This is greatness, this is rest!”
Menwho dwell beside the rivers!Ye who build eternal towers—Empire-makers, poets, heroes—Ye who chain the vivid lightning,Till the rocks, and span the ocean,Make th’ unfriendly desert smile!See, afar, the peaks of ages,Lifting tempting hands to heaven!Beckoning to the lowly-dwellers,“You have conquered all the agesWith your wondrous kingly minds!”
Menwho dwell beside the rivers!
Ye who build eternal towers—
Empire-makers, poets, heroes—
Ye who chain the vivid lightning,
Till the rocks, and span the ocean,
Make th’ unfriendly desert smile!
See, afar, the peaks of ages,
Lifting tempting hands to heaven!
Beckoning to the lowly-dwellers,
“You have conquered all the ages
With your wondrous kingly minds!”
Here, your broadly flowing rivers,In the hearts of these old mountains,Leap to birth, and give you life!Here the winds take sudden refuge,Here the stars spell out their secrets,And the heavens speak to us!Here is solemn meditation,Dignity and peace majestic;Time unmoves us, and the currentsOf the spheres that roll above us,Beat eternal harmonies!
Here, your broadly flowing rivers,
In the hearts of these old mountains,
Leap to birth, and give you life!
Here the winds take sudden refuge,
Here the stars spell out their secrets,
And the heavens speak to us!
Here is solemn meditation,
Dignity and peace majestic;
Time unmoves us, and the currents
Of the spheres that roll above us,
Beat eternal harmonies!
Ask the eagle of its freedom,Ask the gentian of its blueness,Ask the torrent of its swiftness,Ask the lovers’ edelweiss!They will answer, “River-dwellers,While you toil among the vineyards,Fret and toil, and age with fretting,There’s a music in these mountainsYe have never, never heard!”
Ask the eagle of its freedom,
Ask the gentian of its blueness,
Ask the torrent of its swiftness,
Ask the lovers’ edelweiss!
They will answer, “River-dwellers,
While you toil among the vineyards,
Fret and toil, and age with fretting,
There’s a music in these mountains
Ye have never, never heard!”
Winds that beat across the ocean,Wand’ring stars and clouds that kiss us,Bring your broken, sobbing musicTo our feet, and die, confessing—“This is greatness, this is rest!”
Winds that beat across the ocean,
Wand’ring stars and clouds that kiss us,
Bring your broken, sobbing music
To our feet, and die, confessing—
“This is greatness, this is rest!”