To Mr. & Mrs. Robinson, of the garden at Point View
George Stacy, Publisher, c1860
Image courtesy of the Library of Congress
O, wondrous scene ! how mighty thou
Who shaped the forms on which I gaze !
Thy signal 's on
Niagara 's brow,
Thy voice is heard amid its waves .
Skeptic, from haunts of care-worn man
Thy weary feet now turn aside ;
This skilful fabric once ascend,
Despite of care, and fear, and pride,
And gaze abroad as I have gazed,
And think as God has thought of thee :
List here his voice—see here his power ,
And look thou on eternity.
Then lift thine arm, if e'en thou canst—
Thy puny arm, this summer 's even :
The sky above—the cataract 'neath,
And swear there is no God in heaven.
Vain, vain, man ! that awful voice
Of mighty waters bids thee stay,
Nor tempt, by rude blasphemy, HIM,
Before whom earth shall flee away.
Come, tutor—thou of soul-lit eye
And pallid cheek—this is thy home :
Come, student, with thy purpose high—
'Twill cool thy spirits' fever—come !
Ånd bright eyed—maiden, hasten now,
With fairy footsteps to ascend,
Fling back the ringlets from thy brow,
And here, in adoration bend.
Ye weak !
Ye wise ! 0 ! would ye eye
Eternity from Time's bleak shore,
Gain the PAGODA's summit high,
And list Niagara's solemn roar .
“Mary” is not otherwise identified. Note at the end of the poem: The Pagoda is now complete, and delightfully secure. During the late severe tempest, which seemed destined to prostrate everything within its reach, it stood perfectly erect amid the play of the elements, a noble monument of man’s ingenuity. M. Source: Hulett, T. G. Every Man His Own Guide to the Falls of Niagara. 5th ed. Buffalo: Faxon & Co., 1845