Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Asia: Vols. XXI–XXIII. 1876–79. | | | | Mesopotamia: Euphrates, the River | | The Euphrates | | Nicholas Michell (1807–1880) |
| | (From Ruins of Many Lands)
BRIGHT stream! whose wavelets flowed through Eden’s bowers, | |
| Watering its trees, and incense-breathing flowers, | |
| Soothing with murmurs Eve’s enraptured ear, | |
| And all her heavenly charms reflecting clear: | |
| River! whose mountain-born and rapid flood | 5 |
| Swept Shinar’s plain, where sky-topped Babel stood, | |
| Wound, like a huge snake glittering in the sun, | |
| Through Earth’s first city, mighty Babylon! | |
| And saw, along those wild and palmy banks, | |
| The first dread conqueror range his blood-stained ranks! | 10 |
| All hail, Euphrates! stream of hoary time, | |
| Fair as majestic, sacred as sublime! | |
| What thoughts of Earth’s young morning dost thou bring! | |
| What hallowed memories to thy bright waves cling!— | |
| The bowers are crushed where Eve in beauty shone, | 15 |
| The woods are wastes, the towers are overthrown; | |
| Ages have whelmed, beneath their ruthless tide, | |
| Assyria’s glory and Chaldæa’s pride: | |
| But thou, exhaustless river! rollest still, | |
| Raising thy lordly voice by vale and hill; | 20 |
| Sparkling through palm-groves, washing empires’ graves, | |
| And gladdening thirsty deserts with thy waves; | |
| Mirroring the heavens, that know no change, like thee, | |
| A glittering dream, a bright-leaved history! | | | | |
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