Sault Ste. Marie

Laughing and singing     With rhythmical flow,     Leaping and springing,     O light-hearted Sault! -     Tossing up snowy hands     In thy glad play,     Shaking out dewy locks     Bright with the spray, -     Joyously ever     Thy bright waters go,     Yet wearying never,     O beautiful Sault!         Kingly Superior     Leaps to thy arms,     And all his broad waters     Are bright with thy charms;     They sparkle, and glitter,     And flash in their play,     Chasing ripple and rainbow     Away and away!     Weary, I ween,     Of his solemn repose,     Gaily the mighty Flood     Flashes and glows;     And, buoyantly, brightly,     Fleet-footed or slow,     Doth dance with thee lightly,     Unwearying Sault!         If I were a fairy     I'd dance with thee too,     Daily and nightly,     Unfalt'ring and true; -     In sunlight and starlight,     In darkness and day,     As free as the breezes,     As glad in our play!     We'd sing in the darkness,     We'd laugh in the light,     We'd whirl in the eddies     At noonday and night, -     We'd toss up the waters     In sunshine, to see     How they'd fling us back di'monds     And gold in their glee; -     Such amethysts, topazes,     Rubies and pearls,     As we'd strew o'er the tide     In our innocent whirls,     And never be lonely,     Or weariness know -     Ourselves, and us only -     O light-hearted Sault!         Yet the dance is thine own,     And the song and the glee,     Thou dwellest alone,     Untrammelled and free     Our ships may not glide     O'er thy bosom, - our feet     May not trace out one path,     Or explore one retreat!     We may hollow our channels     To left or to right,     And glide on our way     With thy gambols in sight,     Yet this, and this only,     Of thee we may know,     Thou lone, but not lonely,     Free, fetterless Sault!         Farewell, ye bright waters, -     We part, and for aye! -     My pathway leads on     O'er the billows away; -     These feet will grow weary     In life's busy mart,     These eyes be oft tear-dim,     And heavy this heart;     But thou wilt sing on     In thy joyous unrest,     Unchanging, unwearying,     Buoyant and blest     While the slow-footed centuries     Glide on their way,     And nations grow hoary,     And sink in decay, -     Thou, tireless and tameless,     Unchecked in thy flow,     Shalt sing on as ever,     O beautiful Sault!