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.