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1807–1882

IV

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

And thou, O River of To-morrow, flowing Between thy narrow adamantine walls, But beautiful, and white with waterfalls, And wreaths of mist, like hands the pathway showing;

I hear the trumpets of the morning blowing, I hear thy mighty voice, that calls and calls, And see, as Ossian saw in Morven's halls, Mysterious phantoms, coming, beckoning, going!

It is the mystery of the unknown That fascinates us; we are children still, Wayward and wistful; with one hand we cling To the familiar things we call our own,

And with the other, resolute of will, Grope in the dark for what the day will bring.

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IV · Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Poetry Cove