Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
America: Vols. XXV–XXIX. 1876–79.
West Point
By Henry Theodore Tuckerman (1813–1871)W
To breezy knoll and hushed ravine,
And o’er each rocky headland flings
Its mantle of refreshing green.
When cannon flashed from steep to steep,
And Freedom’s airy challenge flung,
In each romantic valley sleep.
Here roved his mild, undaunted eye,
When yon lone fort, with thickets wreathed,
Held captive Britain’s gallant spy.
By self-control to nerve the will,
Through knowledge gain expansive truth,
And with high aims life’s circle fill.
From arid pavements to the grass,
From narrow streets that thousands range,
To meadows where June’s zephyrs pass!
In darksome eddies to the shore,
But midway every sail reveals
Reflected on its crystal floor.
Along the verdant marge to feed,
While poised upon the mullein stalk
The chirping redbird picks the seed.
The clear horizon’s azure line,
Fresh turf elastic to the tread,
And leafy canopies are thine.
How cool their shadows fall to-day!
A moment on the hills they lie,
And then like spirits glide away.
His web the cunning spider threw,
And now, as sparkling diamonds bright,
It glistens with the pendent dew.
O’er the sweet blossoms of the pea,
And from the clover’s globe of pink
Contented hums the downy bee.
Deep meaning for the thoughtful heart,
As it were fain to teach repose,
And lofty confidence impart.
Uprise the forms that life redeem!
The ardent eye, the open brow,
And tender smile beside me seem.
The deeds that grace, the loves that cheer,
And as her holy steps we track,
Hope’s rainbow breaks through sorrow’s tear.