Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
America: Vols. XXV–XXIX. 1876–79. | | | | Southern States: Potomac, the River, Va. | | A Potomac Picture | | Elizabeth Akers Allen (1832–1911) |
| | | A LITTLE shallop floating slow along | |
| The fair Potomac’s tide, | |
| The oarsman pausing for a simple song, | |
| Sung softly at his side;— | |
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| A quaint, old-fashioned love-song, such as stirs | 5 |
| All tender souls, and thrills | |
| To sudden youth the hearts of grandmothers, | |
| Among New England’s hills. | |
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| Great boughs of laurel garlanding the boat, | |
| Won from the bloomy store | 10 |
| Of forests, lying purple and remote | |
| Along the eastern shore. | |
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| Far off, the city and the growing dome | |
| Of the fair Capitol,— | |
| White and ethereal as the feathery foam | 15 |
| Fringing the oar-blade’s fall. | |
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| A fort looks down in silence from the hill, | |
| Holding its fiery breath, | |
| As loath to mar the peace so sweet and still | |
| By any thought of death. | 20 |
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| The blossomed fruit-trees drape the frowning walls, | |
| Disputing all their gloom, | |
| And on the pyramids of cannon-balls | |
| Drops the white chestnut-bloom. | |
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| The mounted guns, all threatening and grim, | 25 |
| Speak not their thunderous words,— | |
| And in and out among their muzzles skim, | |
| Unscared, the meadow birds. | |
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| In the horizon waits one patient star, | |
| A sphere of silver white, | 30 |
| While the full moon, above the hill-tops far, | |
| Slow reddens into sight. * * * * * | | | | |
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