Song of the River

Clear and cool, clear and cool, By laughing shallow and dreaming pool; Cool and clear, cool and clear, By shining shingle and foaming weir; Under the crag where the ouzel sings, And the ivied wall where the church-bell rings, Undefiled for the undefiled; Play by me, bathe in me, mother and child! Dank and foul, dank and foul, By the smoky town in its murky cowl; Foul and dank, foul and dank, By wharf, and sewer, and slimy bank; Darker and darker the further I go. Baser and baser the richer I grow; Who dare sport with the sin-defiled? Shrink from me, turn from me, mother and child! Strong and free, strong and free, The flood-gates are open, away to the sea: Free and strong, free and strong, Cleansing my streams as I hurry along To the golden sands and the leaping bar, And the taintless tide that awaits me afar, As I lose myself in the infinite main, Like a soul that has sinned and is pardoned again, Undefiled for the undefiled; Play by me, bathe in me, mother and child!