The rain it rains without a stay <br />In the hills above us, in the hills; <br />And presently the floods break way <br />Whose strength is in the hills. <br />The trees they suck from every cloud, <br />The valley brooks they roar aloud-- <br />Bank-high for the lowlands, lowlands, <br />Lowlands under the hills! <br /> <br />The first wood down is sere and small, <br />From the hills--the brishings off the hills; <br />And then come by the bats and all <br />We cut last year in the hills; <br />And then the roots we tried to cleave <br />But found too tough and had to leave-- <br />Polting through the lowlands, lowlands, <br />Lowlands under the hills! <br /> <br />The eye shall look, the ear shall hark <br />To the hills, the doings in the hills, <br />And rivers mating in the dark <br />With tokens from the hills. <br />Now what is weak will! surely go, <br />And what is strong must prove it so-- <br />Stand Fast in the lowlands, lowlands, <br />Lowlands under the hills! <br /> <br />The floods they shall not be afraid-- <br />Nor the hills above 'em, nor the hills-- <br />Of any fence which man has made <br />Betwixt him and the hills. <br />The waters shall not reckon twice <br />For any work of man's device, <br />But bid it down to the lowlands, lowlands, <br />Lowlands under the hills! <br /> <br />The floods shall sweep corruption clean-- <br />By the hills, the blessing of the hills-- <br />That more the meadows may be green <br />New-mended from the hills. <br />The crops and cattle shall increase, <br />Nor little children shall not cease. <br />Go--plough the lowlands, lowlands, <br />Lowlands under the hills!<br /><br />Rudyard Kipling<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-floods/
