Now it's gold and gold! In the rocks, in the sands, in the grass-roots' hold, Where the canyons gape and the mountains stand; And the long trail leads to a rich new land, Thro' wind-swept spaces, scant of beast or bird, Thro' sage-brush and cactus—the shy wild herd In mad flight swinging to the sheltering butte— And the great plains pass. The chosen route Breaks into foothills where the fresh springs run By the prairie-schooner, and the camp is won. It is pocket and placer, lode and lead, The miner's kit and the miner's creed:— "Fair to your neighbor; the claim close-drawn; Help to the needy and pass it on." And ever the lonely cabin goes Up the gorge, down the gulch, where the mineral shows And we strike it rich. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...FROM THE AGES WITH A SMILE by EDGAR LEE MASTERS COOPER SQUARE by KAREN SWENSON THE BRIDGE by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW SONG OF THE BANNER AT DAY-BREAK by WALT WHITMAN THE GEATE A-VALLEN TO by WILLIAM BARNES |