 | Ranolf and Amohia |  |
VI.
“And we will settle, nestling thereWhich way to-morrow we shall fare;
If back to strange Orákei's stream
Whose dark-green banks are chequered bright
With many a gaudy scar and seam
Sulphureous yellow—red and white,
Where over crusted strata grey
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Or shall we to the Lake hard by
Of woody Oka-réka hie,
That mocks you with deceitful mien,
By loving cliffs encompassed round—
Fair captive, so resigned, serene,
Lulled in a seeming sleep profound;
Yet all the while slips off unseen
In secret diving underground;
And bursts out into open day
A beautiful Cascade, they say,
All flash and foam, a mile away!
A sudden startling change complete
From mimic death to leaping life,
As yours, my wily winsome cheat,
This morn when starting to your feet
At touch of that rude ready knife!”
| Ranolf and Amohia | |