Niagara Falls

Poetry Project  

Table Rock Album
and
Sketches of the Falls
and
Scenery Adjacent

For a number of years prior to 1850 public albums were kept at the Table Rock and other points of interest around Niagara Falls to record the impressions of visitors to the Falls. Selections from these albums were published in Table Rock Album published by Jewett, Thomas & Co. in 1856. The poetry from this volume is reproduced here.

Oftentimes the authors are anonymous - many constitute a dialogue between different authors, and are recorded together here as some make no sense without the previous poems.

A few of these poems, such as Lord Morpeth's Niagara Falls have become well known in their own right and included in other anthologies. These are listed in the contents both here and on the main contents page.

Please note that this section is still in progress and is incomplete.

Click on the title to see the poem.

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Author

Title

First Line
A. B. Untitled Let no one think 't is waste of time
A. H. Untitled Sit by this roaring surge,
A. R. P. Religion From hallowed shrines let holy incense rise,
A. U. Z. Untitled Land of my birth! land of the "stripes and stars!"
Alethes Untitled There's grandeur in the lightning stroke,
Anonymous Lines "Let me," and here the fast receding breath
Anonymous To Niagara Now take, Great Spirit, this my prayer on high,
Anonymous To the Atheist Almighty God!
Anonymous Untitled Ages on ages Niagara has been pouring
Anonymous Untitled All hail, Niagara! by thine awful noise,
Anonymous Untitled As on the stormy beach I strayed,
Anonymous Untitled Boast not thy greatness, Yankees tall
Anonymous Untitled Built by the golden sun, by day,
Anonymous Untitled Can man stop yonder cataract in its course?
Anonymous Untitled Fair Albion, smiling, sees her sons depart
Anonymous Untitled The Falls are all I fancied them;
Anonymous Untitled Farewell, O Niagara! rolling in splendour
Anonymous Untitled Great is the mystery of Niagara's waters
Anonymous Untitled Hark, hark! 't is Niagara's mighty roar
Anonymous Untitled How poor! how very poor is praise from man!
Anonymous Untitled I stare with wonder, and alas!
Anonymous Untitled I stood upon Niagara's dizzy heights,
Anonymous Untitled If a fellow should slide down from off a slippery stick,
  Anonymous Untitled Look, look up; the spray is dashing,
Anonymous Untitled My thoughts are strange, sublime and deep,
Anonymous Untitled My wife and I went round the Falls;
Anonymous Untitled Next to the bliss of seeing Sarah,
Anonymous Untitled Niagara! thy waters were not made
Anonymous Untitled On Table Rock we did embrace
Anonymous Untitled "On to the curtained shrine --- ay, pass within
Anonymous Untitled Once on a time, with nought to do at home,
Anonymous Untitled Roar away, mighty Fall
Anonymous Untitled Roll on, Niagara! -- amid thy roar,
Anonymous Untitled A scene so vast, so wildly grand
Anonymous Untitled To view Niagara one day,
Anonymous Untitled Visitors, whene'er you wish
Anonymous Untitled The wealth of Crœsus might have built
Anonymous Untitled Ye prosing poets, who dull rhymes indite,
Anonymous Untitled Ye who feast your soul on heavenly food,
Austin, J. Untitled Down the steep an ocean pours,
B_______, Charlotte Untitled Niagara -- each hour, each hour -- each day, each day
Bar-Tender Untitled If you should deem sublimity in water,
Boz Untitled Niagara -- here Nature holds its sway,
Bragg, Jefferson Untitled Of all the roaring, pouring
Brass Spurs and Brown Coat Untitled Adieu, Niagara! I'm off for New York,
Brooks, N. Untitled Ceaseless Niagara, shall thy thunder roll,
Bryant Untitled I came from Wall Street
C. O. B. Untitled I'll climb the mountain tops,
Clark, Willis Gaylord Niagara Here speaks the voice of God — let man be dumb,
Cope, C. H. Untitled The image of the Almighty One, as on thy wave I gaze,
Crack Bard et al.  A Dialogue Stupendous river - mighty cataract!
Cyrus Untitled Here fools from all lands take of gazing their fill,
Dashiell, T. H. Untitled 'Twas great to speak a world from naught
Dowling, Rev. John Sacred Musings Niagara! thy mighty voice hath waked
Duncan, Francis Untitled Roll on, Niagara, thou mighty cataract,
Dwyn, Thomas A. Untitled While standing under the horse-shoe Fall,
E. J. H. Untitled Niagara, it has been sung,
Emphatic Untitled Roll on, Niagara, ― for ever roll ―
Foote, H. et. al. A Dialogue To hear this water roar
François Untitled Lo! dey come, de peoples, much ―
G. Untitled I stood on the cliff, and, astonished, gazed round,
G. et al. A Dialogue The best remark is silence
G. J. K. Untitled This is the cataract whose deathless name
G. M. et al. A Dialogue O! if I were a little fish, and had a little fin,
G. M. Untitled I stand upon Niagara's dizzy heights
Untitled The time may come when steamboats up
General, The Untitled These are the great Niagara Falls,
Hall, J. On the Death of a Man Who Fell Over the Falls What can more awful be, perhaps you say,
Howard, J. E. Untitled "O! not to sing presumptuous praise,
Howell, W. H. Untitled Tres fratres stolidi
Hunt, Thomas P. Untitled I came a long, long way to see
J. Bp. Untitled 'T is well---on sunny dreams of youth,
J.  E. Untitled Streams, rivers, lakes are buried in thy flood,
J. E. M. Untitled Roar, rage and foam, Niagara,
J. F. C. Untitled Beautiful, sublime, and glorious,
J. G. H. Untitled Niagara, can words express
J. G. S. Untitled Roar on, Niagara! thou mighty wonder!
J. R. H. Untitled "This world is all a fleeting show,
J. W. O. Untitled Of the two men who live off this spot,
Jones, Squire Untitled The Falls make a noise ― O! nothing is louder,
Josephine Untitled Fearful in majesty and glory thou!--
Judd, Eliza Ann Untitled I saw the foam come tumbling down,
Kay, R. Untitled They're all my fancy painted them,
Keele, Mary Untitled O! rather say, amazed, let me stand
Keele, U. C. Untitled See yon troubled waters! how madly onward they
L. B. Untitled Now, if I try to write, I guess
Lindsay, H. Niagara To Its Visitors O ye, who come from distant climes,
Lindsay, Henry Untitled Roll on great River, with resistless force
Liz Untitled Niagara's tide is pouring,
Untitled Not in the mighty thunder,
Long Island Untitled Here, when thy feet all climes have trod,
Lydia Untitled Look up to where the mist arises,
M., D. C. Untitled Here may each traveler behold
M. C. Untitled Rush on and on, Niagara, rush
M. F. D. Untitled These are Thy works, O God! Let man approach
Malcolm, Charlotte Blanche Untitled Since first I saw thee thundering on
Mellen, Grenville Written Directly After Going "Within the Veil" of Niagara O God! -- my prayer is to thee, amid sounds
Menzies, George Untitled Great spirit of the waters! I have come
Untitled Roll on, mysterious river, in thy might,
Verses Written at the Table Rock During a Thunder Storm Niagara, Niagara, careering in its might,
Mex. Untitled The Yankees are going to take Niagara Falls,
Morpeth, Lord Niagara Falls There's nothing great or bright, thou glorious Fall!
Newton, Sir Isaac (pseud.) Untitled I saw them fall, I saw them fall ---
Occidente, Maria del Untitled Spirit of Homer!  Thou whose song has rung
Oh!! Untitled 'Tis first a little disappointment,
O'Reilly, Henry D. Untitled I have gazed on nature -- here-- abroad,
P. Untitled At morn the rising God of day
Patten, Jos. H. Untitled Tell them I AM, Jehovah said:
Pratt, Sarah Niagara Niagara, I love to hear thy voice,
Quiz Untitled Free! ay, as air,
R. C. Untitled Oh! not to sing presumptuous praise,
Romaine, B. T., and Lady Untitled Majestic greatness sits, Niagara, upon thy brow,
Rowland, C. W. Eternal - Beautiful - Serene - Sublime Eternal - prototype of God!
S. & M. A Dialogue Fall on, fall on, ye mighty Falls ―
S. B. Untitled Loud roars the waters, O,
Saxe, John G. Untitled See Niagara's torrent pour over the height,
Schunk, John B. Untitled I love to roam o'er the swelling foam
Smith, E. S. Untitled Not in the forest vast, when winds awake,
  Smyth, John, et al. A Dialogue I should have surely written a poem here;
Socrates Untitled If I were annoyed with a termagant wife,
Spirit of the Waters, The Untitled All ye perturbed souls, that go,
Stackpole, Capting Ralph Untitled 'Tis did, my braggin' days is o'er,
Stevens, W. A. Untitled If Lovers' Leaps were now the fashion,
Swop, Solomon Untitled In foam, these Falls resemble ginger-pop
Sylvester, H. Discovery of Termination Rock A young salmon, one day,
Sylvester, H. et al. Untitled I have been to "Termination Rock,"
T. J. R. Untitled Should cruel fate, by some unconquer'd spell
T. S. Untitled Niagara's mighty waters, rushing by
T. S. L. Untitled Boast not thyself, Niagara
Thornbury, Job Untitled All came to se whate'er was to be seen;
Todd, Annie Untitled I looked upon the water, and I smiled
Tuttle, H. B. Untitled Roll on, Niagara, as thou hast ever rolled,
W. H. A. et al A Dialogue If it were not such a squally day
W. M. et al. A Dialogue We are here today, and gone tomorrow
Wilson, C. W. Untitled Mighty water!  headlong tumble
Y. Untitled O! the wonderful falls of Niagara
Zaney Untitled Yes, traveler, go under;

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