 | Songs of two centuries |  |
42
EAGLE AND TURKEY.
The eagle o'er us sweeping
Hath empires in his keeping;
From mountain-summits leaping,
He swims the liquid sky;
Great cannon hoarsely falling
On timid ears appalling,
To him are brothers calling,
The Fourth day of July.
Hath empires in his keeping;
From mountain-summits leaping,
He swims the liquid sky;
Great cannon hoarsely falling
On timid ears appalling,
To him are brothers calling,
The Fourth day of July.
But when the Autumns gather
Their leaden-golden weather,
And camp in woods and heather
'Mid waves of gleaming fire,
When mortals are redressing
Past errors by confessing
A year's undoubted blessing—
The eagle must retire.
Their leaden-golden weather,
And camp in woods and heather
'Mid waves of gleaming fire,
When mortals are redressing
Past errors by confessing
A year's undoubted blessing—
The eagle must retire.
As round the table teeming
With goodly victual steaming,
Each fragrant dish is seeming
To thank Heaven all it can,
When every plate is pensioned
With morsels prayer-intentioned,
No eagle e'er is mentioned:
The turkey leads the van.
With goodly victual steaming,
Each fragrant dish is seeming
To thank Heaven all it can,
When every plate is pensioned
With morsels prayer-intentioned,
No eagle e'er is mentioned:
The turkey leads the van.
| Songs of two centuries | |