Oh, tell me, pretty river,
Whence do thy waters flow?
And whither art thou roaming,
So smoothly and so slow?"
"My birthplace was the mountain,
My nurse the April showers;
My cradle was a fountain,
O'er-curtained by wild flowers.
"One morn I ran away,
A madcap, noisy rill;
And many a prank that day
I played adown the hill!
"And then 'mid meadowy banks,
I flirted with the flowers,
That stooped with glowing lips
To woo me to their bowers.
"But these bright scenes are o'er,
And darkly flows my wave;
I hear the ocean's roar--
And there must be my grave!"
Notebook Work: Write the answers to the questions below.
l. Where have you seen a river like the one spoken of in the poem?
2. Are rivers born?
3. What is meant by "My nurse the April showers? I flirted with the flowers"?
4. Explain the last stanza.