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(From The Song of Hiawatha)
THIS was Hiawatha’s wooing! | |
| Thus it was he won the daughter | |
| Of the ancient Arrow-maker, | |
| In the land of the Dacotahs! | |
| From the wigwam he departed, | 5 |
| Leading with him Laughing Water; | |
| Hand in hand they went together, | |
| Through the woodland and the meadow, | |
| Left the old man standing lonely | |
| At the doorway of his wigwam, | 10 |
| Heard the Falls of Minnehaha | |
| Calling to them from the distance, | |
| Crying to them from afar off, | |
| “Fare thee well, O Minnehaha!” | |
| And the ancient Arrow-maker | 15 |
| Turned again unto his labor, | |
| Sat down by his sunny doorway, | |
| Murmuring to himself, and saying: | |
| “Thus it is our daughters leave us, | |
| Those we love, and those who love us! | 20 |
| Just when they have learned to help us, | |
| When we are old and lean upon them, | |
| Comes a youth with flaunting feathers, | |
| With his flute of reeds, a stranger | |
| Wanders piping through the village, | 25 |
| Beckons to the fairest maiden, | |
| And she follows where he leads her, | |
| Leaving all things for the stranger!” | |
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