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Home  »  Poems of Places An Anthology in 31 Volumes  »  Down the Racket

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
America: Vols. XXV–XXIX. 1876–79.

Middle States: Racket (Raquette), the River, N. Y.

Down the Racket

By Alfred Billings Street (1811–1881)

DOWN the winding woodland river,

Oh, how swift we glide!

Every tree and bush and blossom

Mirrored in the tide;

Bright and blue the heaven above us

As—whose azure eye!

Soft and sweet the wandering breezes

As—whose gentle sigh!

White the cloudlet wreathing o’er us

As her spotless brow!

Oh, what king was e’er so joyous

As we roamers now!

Ho, ho, we merrily go

Down the winding, sparkling flow!

Down so cheerily,

Never wearily,

Ho, ho, we merrily go

Down to the lovely lake below!

Mark the crane wide winnowing from us!

Off the otter swims!

Round her fortress sails the fish-hawk;

Down the wood-duck skims!

Glitters rich the golden lily,

Glows the Indian Plume,

On yon point a deer is drinking,

Back he shrinks in gloom;

Now the little sparkling rapid!

Now the fairy cove!

Here, the sunlight-mantled meadow!

There, the sprinkled grove!

Ho, ho, we merrily go

Down the winding, glittering flow!

Down so cheerily!

Never wearily!

Ho, ho, we merrily go

Down to the lovely lake below!