Classic Poem

O City OF E LMS ! in my day-dreams of bliss,
I have smiled at the fabric my free fancy wove;
But ne'er did I feel such a transport as this,
Inspired by thy beauty, and heightened by love.

I have stood where the cataract thundered afar,
I have felt its proud waters the solid earth shake;
I have watched the soft light of a beautiful star,
That trembled at eve o'er Ontario's lake.

I have looked on the Hudson majestic and bright,
When the foam-crested waves with each other would play,
I have seen them roll on in their grandeur and might,
Till at length they were lost in the wide-spreading bay.

But now my tired spirit hath folded her wings,
To rest on the bosom of nature awhile;
Where the note that the song-bird so merrily rings
In the sunshine of gladness, her care shall beguile.

O City of Elms! in thy green shaded bowers,
With feelings of rapture too happy to last,
I have wandered, and wished that the innocent flowers
Could lend to the future the hues of the past.

O City of Elms! ever sacred shall be
The ties that have drawn thee so close to my heart;
And often in thought will I wander to thee—
The pride of New England, New Haven, thou art.

Thou hast made me feel happy, as happy can be—
A tide of emotions my soul overwhelms;
May everything noble, pure, generous, and free,
Make thee happy, New Haven, thou City of Elms!