Written at Niagara Falls, Upper Canada, 29th June, 1839
A re not those Falls magnificent, divine ?
L oud do they roar ; and, from this lot of mine,
E xceeding beauteous is the view ; they roll,
‘X citing wonder to the human soul ;
A nd here, within this calm, this cool retreat,
N ow each may have his fill, something to eat,
D runk he may be, but that I don’t allow,
E ‘en why ? ‘gainst drunkenness I’ve made a vow.
R ight forward I will go, my place maintain ;
D o not be frightened if my will is vain,
O ! may my friends, both English and all those
U nto our land who sometimes cause some woes,
G ive God the praise, whilst yonder waters shine ;
L ord, Thou mad’st these, thy handwork is divine.
A nd many Canadians and our neighbours prove
S uch friends, that all our acts be those of love.
Clifton Cottage, Niagara Falls
Source: Brock University. Ann Eliza Hepburne Rooth Fonds, 1837-1897 RG 505
https://dr.library.brocku.ca/handle/10464/5978
From Brock University’s description of the scrapbook:
Ann Eliza Hepburne was born in Chippawa, Ontario in 1821 to William Hepburne and Susan Shannon. In 1842, she married William Anthony Rooth in St. James Cathedral in Toronto. They continued to live in different parts of the Niagara region including Drummondville, Welland and Port Colborne. William was the editor and proprietor of the Drummondville Reporter as well as an accountant and insurance agent, and later worked for the Customs Service in Port Colborne. He died in 1878, and Eliza in 1899. Both are buried in Drummond Hill Cemetery in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Alexander Douglas uses his own name as the base for this poem.
