 | The poetical works of William Wordsworth |  |
98
XLIII. THE JUNG-FRAU AND THE FALL OF THE RHINE NEAR SCHAFFHAUSEN.
ILLUSTRATION.
The Virgin-Mountain , wearing like a QueenA brilliant crown of everlasting snow,
Sheds ruin from her sides; and men below
Wonder that aught of aspect so serene
Can link with desolation. Smooth and green,
And seeming, at a little distance, slow,
The waters of the Rhine; but on they go
Fretting and whitening, keener and more keen;
Till madness seizes on the whole wide Flood,
Turned to a fearful Thing whose nostrils breathe
Blasts of tempestuous smoke—wherewith he tries
To hide himself, but only magnifies;
And doth in more conspicuous torment writhe,
Deafening the region in his ireful mood.
| The poetical works of William Wordsworth | |