Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, TO THE MISSISSIPPI, by WILLIAM ALEXANDER PERCY


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

TO THE MISSISSIPPI, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: They came from fierce, burnt spain to seek for gold
Last Line: Of hot, long listlessness and moody course.
Subject(s): Death; Explorers; Gold; Mississippi; Dead, The; Exploring; Discovery; Discoverers


They came from fierce, burnt Spain to seek for gold
Upon thy shores, and with superb, strange prows
Dazzled the wilderness. Their proud, swarth brows
With gorgeous lust of gems and trove made bold
The river folk feared as the gods of old.
But, lo! thy gods awaking, the deep drowse
Of death their chief assuaged of quests and vows,
And him, not disillusioned, thou didst fold.
No dreams of gold or jeweled glebe now force
Thy stream with ships adventuring; and tho'
Thy flood in yellowed opulence doth flow,
'Tis not from stain of deep, corroded treasure.
Imperial indolence is thine and pleasure
Of hot, long listlessness and moody course.





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