Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-06-29


hearty applause from the attentive audience
The theme was Lake Champaign; and
while regretting that the impossible barriers
of space and time forbid the reproduction Of
the entire poem, We subiOin liberal extracts
DIR. CUTTINGS POEM.
Fair Burlington bring song to thee.
Thou lovely Naples OF our Midland Sea
can not sing the unpoetic name
OF thy Misenum, all unknown to fame:
No grotto opened in FAR days Of yore,
No Baim ruined crowns thy northern shore
On yonder headland, stretching far away
To round the southern crescent OF thy bay
No fair Sorrento rises from the sea,
To share the fame Of TassO's minstrelsy.
No Pliny perlshed by the sheltered wave
Where thy proud steamers cradle find, and grave
Thou hast no mountain gorsed with lurii ire,
Nor cities buried in its vcngeful ire;
The Bel Iedert on Martino's height,
With present beauty round the rncircliny si-Lt
Evokes the memories Of three thousand wears
Oi mes gay sunshine, dashed with bitter tears.
Thy charms are not historic none thy claim
Thy virgin beauty thy sufficient fame.
Creative fancy, poets primal DOVER
The minds ideals fabrics OF her power
Confined within the realm Of ensuous thlngs
Flies through that realm on free and ioyous wing.
Falrest To find OF earth, or sea- or skv
Which her celestial touch may heaufifv,
llither she comes in her far-reachiu,, l,gbt
And stops, arrested by the enamOrins sight
From yerdant base here Mansfield rises hirb
There White Face. Marcy, pierce the western sky
The lake OF remulOus silver lies between
And hamlets, woodlands. meadows fill the s,enc
Here peaceful labor cultivates the vale,
Here prosperous commerce spreads the swellin.
sail,
Here gentle manners social life rcine.
Here learning keeps her con-ecrated shrine.
Here iaith alleglant to one common Lord,
ie1rs varying temples in divine accord.
And charity. in wentia N trpis
Brings home and healing TO LIES maadies
Thou city lair in summer veriure dres:
Like maiden love more hidden than contest.
Prom out empowering trees thy mansions rise
Mid lawns that smile with bloom Of Paradise
And where shall Inning fancy find tho power
To paint the beauty Of thy sunset hour
The traveller lingering the Pincian heights
When all the west golden glory lights,
The eternal city in the srey below
Aiar the darEening dome OF Angelo
Hath seen no vision Of Italian sky
10 hold with thine an equal rivalry.
FOR broader far thy mounta n bounded ye.t
From lofty Dix to Dannemora's crest.
And broader far the vale where Tuiet sleep
The waters which thy mountain-sentries Eeen
y matches splendors' never sung nor told
Now golden purple. now empu- pied gold
Ger mount and plain the heavens their tnis dit
And tinge the waves with irideseent huss
And now. when slowly fades departing day,
The moon, iull-Orbed. walk her celestial way
And bathing all T. ings in her silver light,
Prnlongs the beauty through the sluIn berng night
Far burlington accept this song to thee,
Thou lovely Naples Of our Mldllnd Sea
Dear Lake Champlain thou hast historic tame. -
The world accords it in thy very name.
Not Eng lish speech these savage wids first heard
lot English prOws that first these waters stirred;
Primeval forests cast their shadows dark,
On duskv forms in craft OF fragile bark.
When first the pale face from the distant sea-
Brought hIther cOnquering cross, and BsuT ds las,
On irow ming headlsnds rose the forts o. France, -
Around them villages, and song. and dance.
Four generations came and passed away
o! treacherous peace or sanguinary ray
When hostile armies hostile hass uniurled
To wage the destiny Of half the world
How flowed the BritOns blood, chastity tide,
When leader Numbered and his followers died
The vanqushed in the battle gained the war,
And England's conquerins banners streamed afar,
From rug sed rocks, washed by Atlantic waves,
To FERTILE plains the siiss!ssIppi laves.
England proud what splendo-s had'st thou
known,
If parliamcnt peryerse. and logged throne
Had spread Q or regions conquered by thy might,
Thine ancient rrle OF English common right
Real perhaps thy poets dream to-day
" The federation OF the world" thy sway
All human passion hushed sweet natures calm
Like soothing harmony o! evening psalm,
Rests on the % waters. and the silence breaks
Only to strokes vi peaceful woOdman'J
lie comes 10 open wales where rivers TOW
That lend their beauty to our landscapes now,
To fringe with generous corn the forest hills,
And feed his flock beside their shaded rills,-
To give verge broader to his children's tate,
And lay foundations OF the rising State.
victories OF peace. OF more renOwn
Than bloody triumphs OF victorious crown
But rs from storm comes elemental rest.
So freedom comes to Lofty souls opprest.
Grim VISA ed war stalks DER these scenes again,
The wage the vanished rights OF Englishmen.
Here echoed first the fight OF Bunker Hill,
When our rough hero Of the conquering will,
Mounting aloit Tconderoga's eight,
Took spoil Of century's strife in one brief night.
How turned our fathers TO this path Of war.
As eyes OF mariners to polar star,
How rushed on winters ice and summers wave,
To win their freedom, and their land TO save
Along this vale III triumph and retreat,
What varying fortunes hostile armies meet,
Till England's might lured to its certain doom,
Where II had empire found, found too its tomb.
U fair Republic of an hundred years,
Crowned with the honor OF the nations cheers
Who sings thy natal hour in worthy song,
Here in these northern wilds will lnger long,
And rock the cradle OF thine infant sleep,
Mid storms that Ger these placid waters sweep.
FAR lake why longer shall my song rehearse,
Thine epic story in unpractised verse
What boy that knows thee meath September -un,
Knows not thy later .ame at Pittsburgh won
How the proud Briton in rekindled wrath,
A gain comes sweeping down his ancient PATH
On lake and land with ieet and army comes
With red naS Haunting and with rafting drums
Comes 10 the waters Of the SIranac,
And beaten turns his shattered remnant back.
To mediate, in ssr Canadian home,
The proves, OF McDonoush and Maccmb.
Enough OF war part from CORY themes.
Sweet days long gone come back IN memoryS
dreams
Like iar-oti music, in whose halfheard strain.
Arc strangely mingled notes OF Joy and pain.
Lake OF our lakes-how long I've known thee well,
From fiddler's Elbow to the swift Sorel
Before proud sherman walked the traukiins dec 4,
His empirc ruling with monarch beck.
or Lathrop, youthful, and as woman fair.
The Congress mastered with his gentle air.
| knew thy widness in thy winter moods
Iline &c. IIl waters and tly leafr-s woods.
Thy mountains in the lofty blue aglow
with suuhcams dancing on Their peaks Of snow
Thy fountains bahhliDg iu the Juickenibg spring,
Whcn buds are bursting aud the robins sung
Thy fragrant summers when the days grow long.
And merry hoh0linhs ill the air with song
Aud following clos, the farmers golden sheaNr-,
Thy gorgeous vest OF autumu-iint"d lcayrr'
Amid such scenes doth fancy on the wing
Di.port, and one % the-y most fair sing
Thou SPLIT Rock mount upltt when earth was
new.
In. nmSlcy bird, trum Hu>l,,'> reptiles srew
In that DIN cid torn with volcanic lire,
Now sti as breathing cot .EnlHn l'r'.
Gently drrIinr- thv southern sIupr away,
\ fringe oi shell cring beauty L" the BAY,
Whose farther =h"fr. IN Nrrdani terrace high
still upward mounts To- meet the bending ~,
Thy name unsc.mlN On poets tongue,
/ air Ban thy hr ~, n'',r ha- poet sung
Mountains b, Grid thee. save wh"r" gate Hlhr
Reveal Tia, lulti,I peak that CLEAN HiaT.
Thy Slopes that ca ch the nays OF earliest morn.
sweet wfuAE- uIN lfIi~ III various 'IFrH hN''ih
\ village modest, stranger t." To- tame.
Not brr,r known wrrr 10 speak its maine"
" it'll sludowing tree ANA rever"nt spIt"', queen /
Euthronc,. completes the beauty q; the s'"n'
The i'll. tru,tl.trorr the BPuan plain,
" here hutllrd Carthage i"it her heroes slam.
SEES dmgy town ON diugy mount p"rchrd high
How picturesque p" eNcllims. and passes bN -
Nar think within tho-c walls hos children play,
\ nj hopes and fear make up l''- common ,'Hy.
So stranger with the outer scusr awake
" hum summer wru- To- pleasure on our lake,
.. t5 st. stTtRr UF4 faft vgfitr is
rho beauty owns, and instant then, per'hsncs.
Tho dinner calls, or other scene apreHr-
And all forgotten which ho envted her
Not STRANGER 1. lutu this vision lar,
Df lake aud hand, and "a surrounding air,
Ny soul in b hood passed, aud every year
Ny wandering stops return 70 worship here
For she " NhU taught my Infant ms 10 pray,
Ter own poets eye hor lie a lay
Whose strains are echoing IN NY heart To DAY.
Looked on this scene and trained uy youthful
nlud,
10 thoughts d: beauty IN thee iorus eashrlned.
watched the clouds on eastern submits borne,
Tho liyeried hcrsids Of advancing morn
watched The gorgeous drpery Of Tie west
rhe tired bay robins lot her nightly rest.
md all the owe srching blue,
The gathering purple shift 10 vtu.et hue
The Giant SCARED, aud Gamer towering high.
lphulders Of the imperial CANOPY.
Aud nature does not change, save only where
Mans patient labor makes the fields more :air.
Dr. spreading trees from slender sapltus+ stuwn'
END ampler beauty to tn" humb" town
from edrsttme the uuun drops shinmerinS lisht
IN Tranquil lake. through ali the lvclong night,
Dr. moon Withdrawn, when distant -tars seem near
Ttrn k1uu- CLOVIS depths q. waters clear,
The fair Bupuet tow uurmuTing Ter It's bed
Through all the years by eli sime fountains led
fall Hurricane liI up is -littering splTc,
Is when now molten Ia prlm"yal IRE,
And dark hruwed Raven. u'rr the vale below,
lreps watch as patient rs the river uOW.
scenes Jhsi never change ye wales and hllls.
70 mountain heights, and swcctly ln"lns rtllS,
hring you back my heart AS on that day
When liie's stem duty -uWmoued me away
'hJu lake so wuudruus TAR. whose waters lave
he rock bound shore that guards mothers grave,
rom all lies wander .ngs over land and sea,
Ind boys first love hrny unchanged 20 thee
Discursive memory. fam, dcd- brings
he themes your oylnescent poet sings
ct then the ending ot his transient lay,