“Cadenabbia” [poem]
CADENABBIA.
OH! coolly came, on Comoʼs lake,
The lovely beams of morning mild,
That oʼer the Lecco mountains break, 1
And red their summits piled;
That, high above their olive shore
Their weary winter garments bore.
The broad boat lay along the tide;
The light waves lapped its sloping side,
And soft perfume of orange‐trees
By fits came on the landward breeze.
The trouts shot through the waters blue,
Like small stars in the heaven glancing;
Or hid them where the broad weeds grew,
With wavy motion dancing.
Away, away, across the lake 2
How fast retires yon myrtle brake,
All sprinkled with a silver shower,
Through the dark leaves of lemon‐flower.
Clear, as if near,—nor faint, though far,
Shines on the mountain, like a star,
The rock‐born torrentʼs milky spray.
And many a small boat on its way
Urged by a breeze that bore them well,
Though unfelt as invisible,
With sunshine on their winglike sail
Past, like young eaglets on the gale.
The lovely beams of morning mild,
That oʼer the Lecco mountains break, 1
And red their summits piled;
That, high above their olive shore
System generated line number
5Their weary winter garments bore.
The broad boat lay along the tide;
The light waves lapped its sloping side,
And soft perfume of orange‐trees
By fits came on the landward breeze.
System generated line number
10The trouts shot through the waters blue,
Like small stars in the heaven glancing;
Or hid them where the broad weeds grew,
With wavy motion dancing.
Away, away, across the lake 2
System generated line number
15How fast retires yon myrtle brake,
All sprinkled with a silver shower,
Through the dark leaves of lemon‐flower.
Clear, as if near,—nor faint, though far,
Shines on the mountain, like a star,
System generated line number
20The rock‐born torrentʼs milky spray.
And many a small boat on its way
Urged by a breeze that bore them well,
Though unfelt as invisible,
With sunshine on their winglike sail
System generated line number
25Past, like young eaglets on the gale.
The steps were broken, mossed, and steep;
The waters sparkling, clear, and deep;
The rock was high, the cavern dark,
Scarce lit up by the jewelled spark
Of the cold stream that under earth
Was, darkling, buried at its birth; 3
Nor once its wave had sunned, nor seen
Aught but dark rock, and ice‐caves green,
Where the dark waters, as a home,
Received the torrentʼs churnèd foam.
We launched again, and downward bore
A while beside the centre shore;
Then left the shadowy eastern lake,—
Crossed through thick vines the wooded cape,—
Struck the clear wave with long, light oar,—
Left a white wake that sought the shore;
High oʼer the boat the awning spread,
And, quick as sunned waves a flashed before,
Toward the southward fled.
The waters sparkling, clear, and deep;
The rock was high, the cavern dark,
Scarce lit up by the jewelled spark
System generated line number
30Of the cold stream that under earth
Was, darkling, buried at its birth; 3
Nor once its wave had sunned, nor seen
Aught but dark rock, and ice‐caves green,
Where the dark waters, as a home,
System generated line number
35Received the torrentʼs churnèd foam.
We launched again, and downward bore
A while beside the centre shore;
Then left the shadowy eastern lake,—
Crossed through thick vines the wooded cape,—
System generated line number
40Struck the clear wave with long, light oar,—
Left a white wake that sought the shore;
High oʼer the boat the awning spread,
And, quick as sunned waves a flashed before,
Toward the southward fled.
System generated line number
45