SUCH fruitless questions may not long beguile Or plague the fancy 'mid the sculptured shows Conspicuous yet where Oroonoko flows; 'There' would the Indian answer with a smile Aimed at the White Man's ignorance, the while, Of the GREAT WATERS telling how they rose, Covered the plains, and, wandering where they chose, Mounted through every intricate defile, Triumphant -- Inundation wide and deep, O'er which his Fathers urged, to ridge and steep Else unapproachable, their buoyant way; And carved, on mural cliff's undreaded side, Sun, moon, and stars, and beast of chase or prey; Whate'er they sought, shunned, loved, or deified! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...FIFTY YEARS (1863-1913) by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON THE NEW EZEKIEL by EMMA LAZARUS THE ARMADA; A FRAGMENT by THOMAS BABINGTON MACAULAY THE BATTLE OF BLENHEIM by ROBERT SOUTHEY AFTER THE PLAY by HAMILTON FISH ARMSTRONG SONNET: POET TO POET by LOUISA SARAH BEVINGTON DEATHLESS LOVE by HARRY RANDOLPH BLYTHE SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE: 15 by ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING |