Classic Poem

Dropping down the troubled river,
To the tranquil, tranquil shore;
Dropping down the misty river,
Time's willow-shaded river,
To the spring-embosomed shore;
Where the sweet light shineth ever,
And the sun goes down no more.
O wondrous, wondrous shore!

Dropping down the winding river,
To the wide and welcome sea;
Dropping down the narrow river,
Man's weary, wayward river,
To the blue and ample sea;
Where no tempest wrecketh ever,
Where the sky is fair and free;
O joyous, joyous sea!

Dropping down the noisy river,
To our peaceful, peaceful home;
Dropping down the turbid river,
Earth's bustling, crowded river,
To our gentle, gentle home;
Where the rough roar riseth never,
And the vexings cannot come;
O loved and longed for home!

Dropping down the eddying river,
With a Helmsman true and tried;
Dropping down the perilous river,
Mortality's dark river,
With a sure and heavenly Guide;
Even Him who, to deliver
My soul from death, hath died;
O Helmsman true and tried!

Dropping down the rapid river,
To the dear and deathless land;
Dropping down the well-known river,
Life's swoll'n and rushing river,
To the resurrection-land;
Where the living live for ever,
And the dead have joined the band;
O fair and blessed land!