“Oh warmly down the sunbeams fell” [“Ehrenbreitstein”] [poem]

Oh warmly down the sunbeams fell, a
Along the broad and fierce Moselle.
And on the city, and distant mountain ridge,

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And on the city, and the bridge,
So beautiful that stood,

Tall tower and spire or gloomy fort,
Were made, and shattered in the sport,
Of that impetuous flood,

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That on the one side washed the wall,
Of Gothic mansion fair and tall,

And on the other side was seen,
Checked by broad meadows rich and green,
And scattering spray, that sparkling flew,

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And fed the grass with constant dew.
With broader stream, and mightier wrath,

The Rhine had chosen bolder path,
All, yielding to his forceful will,
Through basalt gorge, and rock ribbed hill,

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Still flashed his deep right on.
It checked not at the battled pride

Where Ehrenbreitstein walled his side,
Stretching across with giant stride
The mighty waves the rock deride,

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And on the crag like armies ride,
Flinging the white foam far and wide

Upon the rough grey stone.
Beneath the sweep of yon dark fell,
Join the two brothers, the Moselle,

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Greeting the Rhine in friendly guise, 1
To join his headlong current flies, 2

Together down the rivers go,
Resistless oer their rocky foe,
As lovers joining hand in hand

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Toward the west beside their strand,
They rivers pass full

together

playfully,

Like Allied armies mingled band,
Toward the east white whirls of sand,
The river

torrent

tosses by, 3

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The morning came, and rosy light b
Blushed oer the bastions and the height

Where traitor never stood, 4
And

While

far beneath in misty night
The waters wheeled their sullen flight,

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Till oer them far for many a rood,
The red sun scattered tinge of blood,

Till

‸

Then

broadening into brighter day
On the rich plain the lustre lay
And distant spire and village white

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Confessed the kiss of dawn
Still multiplying on the sight

Amid the forests shining bright

As sunnier grew the morn,
We climbed the crag, we scaled the ridge,
On Coblentz looked adown,

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The tall red roofs the long white bridge,
And on the eyelike frown

Of the portals of her palaces,
And on her peoples busy press,
There never was a fair

town

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Between two rivers as it lay
Whence morning mist was curling grey,

On the plains edge, beside the hill
Oh it was lying calm and still
In mornings chastened glow,

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The multitudes were thronging by,
But we were dizzily on high,

And we might not one murmur hear
Nor whisper tingling on the ear
From the far depth below.

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The bridge of boats, the bridge of boats, d
Across the hot tide how it floats,

In one dark bending line,
For other bridge were swept away
Such shackle loveth not the play

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Of the impetuous Rhine,
The feeble bridge, that bends below,

The tread of one weak man,
It yet can stem the forceful flow,
Which nought unyielding can,

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The bar of shingle stems the sea
The granite cliffs are worn away

The bending reed can bear the blast,
When English oak were downward cast,
The bridge of boats the Rhine can chain,

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Where strength of stone were all in vain,
Oh fast and faster on the stream,

An island driveth down.
The Schwartzwald pine hath shed its green
But not at autumns frown.

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A sharper winter stripped them there,
The tall straight trunks are bald and bare,

The peasant on some Alpine brow,
Hath cut the root and lopped the bough,
The eagle heard the echoing fall

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And soared away to his high eyrie,
The chamois gave his warning call

And higher on the mountain tall
Pursued his way unweary,
They come they come the long pine floats

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Unchain the bridge, and

throw

loose the boats,
Lest by the raft so rudely driven,

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The iron bolts be burst and riven, 5
They come, they come, careering fast,
The bridge is gained, the bridge is past,

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Before the flashing foam they flee,
Toward the ocean rapidly

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There firmly bound by builders care,
The rage of wave and wind to dare,
Or burst of battle shock to bear

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Upon the boundless sea.