On thundering feet you take the dread abyss,
Shaking the stolid earth around, below,
Where puny mortals gaze but may not know
The cosmic surge of elemental bliss,
The soaring passion of the lethal kiss
That hides within your swift arterial flow.
Most prodigal of waters, to bestow
So rich inheritance on man as this.
Niagara, the mighty, rainbow-spanned,
Majestic, terrible your potency!
What aeons since He cupped you in His hand
Who gave His space its wheeling argosy,
And bade you ride this rampart of our land
Companionless, alone, eternally!
Source: V.B. Rhodenizer, (ed.) Canadian Poetry Magazine vol. 22, no. 3, Spring 1959.