Niagara! thy mighty voice hath waked
The slumb’ring fancy;  and the beams which from
Thy crested bosom dart, kindle again
The smothered flame of wild poetic fire,
Which in the days of youthful ardor burn’d
Within my breast.

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡Yet hard the task
To sing thy wonders!   Laboring fancy reels!
Thought staggers with amazement, and in vain
Essays to grasp thy vast sublimities!
Yet though the hand which feebly touch’d the lyre
To sing thy wonders, palsied is still,
Yet may I tell the sweet and holy thoughts
Which crowd upon my brain, as on the rocks
I stand, and gaze upon thy face.   Thoughts, which
The love-tun’d harp of Zion woke, and even
Thy thunders cannot hush.   I gaze upon
Thy waters as they leap, foaming with wrath,
From rock to rock, till vast and vehement,
The mighty torrent with resistless force
Tumbles into the gulf; and as I gaze,
I think upon the awful flood of wrath
Due to the sins of vile apostate man,
Which dashed upon the meek and holy  ONE,
And wrung the bitter cry — “My God, my God,
O why dost thou forsake me?”

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡I behold
The beauteous bow which spans the roaring gulf,
And thoughts of melting tenderness come o’er my soul!
The bow, the heavenly bow of peace and love
Which spanned mount Calvary when Jesus dies!
The eye of faith turns from the scenes of earth,
And sees — O love divine! — the wondrous words,
Inscrib’d by God’s own hand upon that bow —
“PEACE, PEACE ON EARTH,” since Christ the ransom, died.
I stand upon the rock!  here am I safe! —
Thus may I ever stand on HIM, the ROCK
Of everlasting ages.

‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡Thus secure from harm,
As on this solid rock, contemplate
That overwhelming Cataract of wrath,
Which on my Saviour pour’d to rescue me.
Thus may I gaze upon the bow of mercy,
Read its bright lines, and wonder and adore;
And as I gaze, in yon bless’d world forever,
Thus sweetly may the fountains of my soul,
Be broken up; and tears, luxurious tears,
Of joy and gratitude forever flow.

 

Source: Table Rock Album and Sketches of the Falls and Scenery Adjacent. Buffalo: Steam Press of Thomas and Lathrops, copyright by Jewett, Thomas & Co.,1856c.1848

This link takes you to the scanned version of  the 1855 version of Table Rock Album from the Hathi Trust

See the Table of Contents of the Table Rock Album on this site.

 

See an article on Dowling

Ceaseless Niagara, shall thy thunder roll,
Till time shall cease to be, and like a scroll
Earth shall be gathered up, and then the soul
Will heed thee not; for God will claim the whole.

N. Brooks is from New Hampshire.

Source: Table Rock Album and Sketches of the Falls and Scenery Adjacent. Buffalo: Steam Press of Thomas and Lathrops, copyright by Jewett, Thomas & Co.,1856c.1848

This link takes you to the scanned version of  the 1855 version of Table Rock Album from the Hathi Trust

See the Table of Contents of the Table Rock Album on this site.

Niagara — each hour, each hour — each day, each day,
The rich, the poor, the gentle pass your way;
The tradesman from his toil released,
Seeks beauties that our God decreed
To flow from Niagara; mighty as before,
You’ll live for ages, when ages shall be no more,
Made by that power, that power that man can ne’er destroy,
Our Lord, our everlasting God, from all eternity:
Steadfastly you stand as ever seen by those,
That thus appreciate the works which God bestows;
Great, beautiful Falls! you’ll continue great,
And live in grandeur, when different is our state,
When old age comes, or sad despair,
‘Tis thus to thee, oh God! we’ll pour our prayer.
Falls, mighty Falls, aloft with moistened eyes,
I send my humble gratitude with tearful sighs,
To God who ever sends us hope and trust,
Though we are sinful he is just;
If we ask pardon, our mighty God is kind,
And gives us hope in prayer, in peace of mind.
Niagara Falls! the mighty work of God,
I feel how great, how wondrous is our Lord.

August 15, 1847

Source: Table Rock Album and Sketches of the Falls and Scenery Adjacent. Buffalo: Steam Press of Thomas and Lathrops, copyright by Jewett, Thomas & Co.,1856c.1848

This link takes you to the scanned version of  the 1855 version of Table Rock Album from the Hathi Trust

See the Table of Contents of the Table Rock Album on this site.

Ye who would feast your souls on heavenly food,
Go muse awhile on Niagara’s flood;
Turn ye to Him who pours its rushing wave,
And praise the power who rules us but to save;
Whose might could crush the world he deigned to form,
Whose love redeemed mankind — who feeds the worm.

Source: Table Rock Album and Sketches of the Falls and Scenery Adjacent. Buffalo: Steam Press of Thomas and Lathrops, copyright by Jewett, Thomas & Co.,1856c.1848

This link takes you to the scanned version of  the 1855 version of Table Rock Album from the Hathi Trust

See the Table of Contents of the Table Rock Album on this site.