Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE CASCADE, by JOHN LAWSON STODDARD Poet's Biography First Line: From the mountain gray Last Line: Has lasted a thousand years. Subject(s): Flowers; Gardens & Gardening; Lakes; Life; Pools; Ponds | ||||||||
From the mountain gray It has made its way To my garden green and cool, And there, from the edge Of a rocky ledge Leaps down to a crystal pool. With a plunging flash It falls, to dash That crystal into foam; And then at a bound Slips under ground To the lake, -- its final home. In the morning light, In the silent night, When the moonlight gems the scene, It laughs and sings, And a light spray flings O'er stately walls of green. For in and out, And round about, Grow flowers, plants, and trees, From the lowly moss To the boughs that toss Their leaves in the passing breeze. On its outer zone Of massive stone Two marble statues stand, -- The silver sheen Of the pool between, -- One form on either hand. One of the pair Is a woman fair, With parted, smiling lips; For her each hour A honied flower, And she the bee that sips. The other, a faun, From whom is gone The power to frankly smile; For whom each day, As it drags away, Makes life still less worth while. The face of the one Is like the sun, With its warmth, and light, and cheer; But the faun looks down With ugly frown, And his lips retain a sneer. Youth and age, Child and sage! The former with life unknown; The latter burnt By lessons learnt, With a heart now turned to stone. Yet the torrent speeds, And never heeds The statues' smiles or sneers; They come and go, But the water's flow Has lasted a thousand years. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A MAN GETS OFF WORK EARLY by THOMAS LUX THE FRIARY AT BLOSSOM, PROLOGUE & INSTRUCTIONS by NORMAN DUBIE SONGS FOR TWO SEASONS: 2. RED POND by CAROL FROST A MAY MONODY by JOHN LAWSON STODDARD |
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