Stray Leaves from the Portfolios of Alisander the Seer, Andrew Whaup, and Humphrey Henkeckle Edited by Alexander Rodger |
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VERSES,
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 | Stray Leaves from the Portfolios of Alisander the Seer, Andrew Whaup, and Humphrey Henkeckle |  |
137
VERSES,
WRITTEN UPON THE OPENING OF THE GLASGOW AND GREENOCK RAILWAY, 30TH MARCH, 1841.
While Bards of renown sing their heroes of yore,
Who marched on to fame—to the knees up in gore,
Whose chief entertainment was dying the sod,
And marring and mangling the image of God,
We'll choose a more homely, though happier theme,—
The genius of Watt, and the triumphs of Steam.
Who marched on to fame—to the knees up in gore,
Whose chief entertainment was dying the sod,
And marring and mangling the image of God,
We'll choose a more homely, though happier theme,—
The genius of Watt, and the triumphs of Steam.
Had some gifted spirit arisen of old,
And to our great-grandfathers fearlessly told
The powers and the virtues which vapour contains,
They had deemed him a madman and fool for his pains;
The plain, honest, simple folks never could dream
Of the powers and the virtues inherent in Steam.
And to our great-grandfathers fearlessly told
The powers and the virtues which vapour contains,
They had deemed him a madman and fool for his pains;
The plain, honest, simple folks never could dream
Of the powers and the virtues inherent in Steam.
But forth came our Watt, in the strength of his mind,
Too powerful and vast for old fetters to bind—
He saw what was wanting—he planned what was right,
Then rose giant Steam in his fulness of might,
All vigorous and fresh as the sun's primal beam,
And darkness soon fled from the presence of Steam.
Too powerful and vast for old fetters to bind—
He saw what was wanting—he planned what was right,
Then rose giant Steam in his fulness of might,
All vigorous and fresh as the sun's primal beam,
And darkness soon fled from the presence of Steam.
O Steam! what great wonders thou lately hast wrought,
For Time's but thy plaything, and Distance is nought;
Outstripping in fleetness the wings of the wind,
And leaving the storm-driven clouds far behind,
Thou link'st distant lands, thou o'ercom'st rock and stream,
Thou greatest of all Revolutionists—Steam.
For Time's but thy plaything, and Distance is nought;
Outstripping in fleetness the wings of the wind,
And leaving the storm-driven clouds far behind,
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Thou greatest of all Revolutionists—Steam.
The gentle and simple by thee both are fed,
Thou grindest their grain, thou preparest their bread,
Thou guidest the saw, and thou turnest the screw,
And things the most obdurate thou can'st subdue;
Thy cylinder, piston, and ponderous beam,
Are the creatures of thine own creation—O Steam!
Thou grindest their grain, thou preparest their bread,
Thou guidest the saw, and thou turnest the screw,
And things the most obdurate thou can'st subdue;
Thy cylinder, piston, and ponderous beam,
Are the creatures of thine own creation—O Steam!
The prince and the peasant by thee, too, are drest,
The jenny and loom thy minuteness attest,
The forge and the furnace proclaim thy great power,
Fresh wonders on wonders arise every hour,
And wonders on wonders for ages may teem,
So various and vast are the workings of Steam.
The jenny and loom thy minuteness attest,
The forge and the furnace proclaim thy great power,
Fresh wonders on wonders arise every hour,
And wonders on wonders for ages may teem,
So various and vast are the workings of Steam.
What mighty achievements thou yet hast in store,
No heart may conceive, and no eye yet explore,—
The desert Sahaara may yet own thy sway,
And the huge Polar icebergs before thee give way;
The Atlantic into the Pacific may stream,
And the whirl of the Maelstroom may yield yet to Steam.
No heart may conceive, and no eye yet explore,—
The desert Sahaara may yet own thy sway,
And the huge Polar icebergs before thee give way;
The Atlantic into the Pacific may stream,
And the whirl of the Maelstroom may yield yet to Steam.
Then fill up a bumper—yea, fill to the brim,
And drain to the bottom in memory of him
Who, wisely directing the Steam's latent powers,
Has given a new face to this planet of ours—
May his name float along upon Time's mighty stream,
Till sun, moon, and stars, be enveloped in Steam.
And drain to the bottom in memory of him
Who, wisely directing the Steam's latent powers,
Has given a new face to this planet of ours—
May his name float along upon Time's mighty stream,
Till sun, moon, and stars, be enveloped in Steam.
| Stray Leaves from the Portfolios of Alisander the Seer, Andrew Whaup, and Humphrey Henkeckle | |