Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1863-08-21
THE OPENING OF THE MISSISSIPPI
RIVER.

AIVER.
From Harper's weekly.1
Han mighty river, t#
From thy mountain springs to the Southern Sea,
Free heritage Of the millions free.
The power that with polluted hand .tt.
Grasped at thy glorious flood, tf.
Swept from thy banks by IRE and brand,
Lies weltering in its blood. ..| #-t'
Thy current now is free; the white tents glsam
No more, OF those who bound thee by thy stream;
Thy chains are broken; by thy bluff. bound shore
The traitor cannon frown no more.
Hail giant river,
A continents bond that none may sever;
The bright, blue mountains Of the setting sun
Send down purer stream;
The golden drifts that through their granite run
Shine with brighter CLEAN;
And the morning bloom that waves
Above an ancient peoples graves
Slow sinking by thy shores,
A sweeter fragrance pours #..f ....
From its rich chalice and the bright star flowers
Look from the fields Of heaven with softer glow
At their twin sisters, through nights holy hours
Enshrined within thy crystal heart below.
Up through the beds Of coal,
The treasured strength ofcenturies waiting still
To do peoples will.
And illuminate labor with the light Of art,
Up through the beds where lies the sumberng sou!
OF fire, the waters rushwi swifter feet
To lose themselves In thee, -... .r ,.-.....
Aud swell thy brmminy bounty, pure and sweet.
Unto the free, the free.
The upper lakes.
It, 'ka, and It's thousand sisters bright,
Tia lie among the emerald hills like takes
OF cool and crystal light,
Feel the new thrill that runs to them from thee;
And the wild birds that swim
Along their iilied rim,
Rise like peoples shout, free, ever free,
The praries green - r~
Whose chAnQeless o1ovrs hanr he sheso
or the ocean on their waving crests,
And It's wild, free feart In their silent breasts
Lie down by thy banks to lave . .
Their feet in thy silver flood;
In their heart Of hearts they have sworn thy wave
Should bear not the hue Of blood;
And thy upper current knows no stain.
And the dewy grass and the ripened grain
Are reaped in peace by the settler free,
For the praries haze kept their vow to thee.
The forest trees lock down a..
Into thy depths, and each his monarch crown
Holds over thy calm brow, to crown thee, river,
King OF long lines Of forest kings forever.
Their roots are by thy throne
Their heads are IN the sky,
And every breeze across them blown
Lifts up an anthem high
or praise and thanks to thee,
King OF the forests old and free.
Hail mighty river,
Whose upper banks are white with bread,
whose lower red with wine t-
Bread for hungry world; life.wine forever
For coming high, heroic spirits shed
BY those who live among the holy dead.
Hail that thy triple portals wide are thrown;
Hail that thy length Is all own, our own:
Hail Tor the hungry millions crushed and dumb,
W other lands than ours whose blessings come
with thy free current. Hail! Tor millions more,
Whose winged hopes
Above the slopes
OF the western, golden mountains soar
And fill the plains ...
With loaded wains,
And sit by their cottage door
With gaddened eyes .a ...
As cities rise
Where the Mssouri's fountains roar III.
Hal central river
The artery Of a continent whose heart
stlrs with human throb, whose noble part
Is to reach forth abounding hands forever,
And SOW the earth with blessings rich and free;
blood-purchased river, Hall All Hail to thee