Oh silvery streamlet of the fields, <br />That flowest full and free! <br />For thee the rains of spring return, <br />The summer dews for thee; <br />And when thy latest blossoms die <br />In autumn's chilly showers, <br />The winter fountains gush for thee, <br />Till May brings back the flowers. <br /> <br />Oh Stream of Life! the violet springs <br />But once beside thy bed; <br />But one brief summer, on thy path, <br />The dews of heaven are shed. <br />Thy parent fountains shrink away, <br />And close their crystal veins, <br />And where thy glittering current flowed <br />The dust alone remains.<br /><br />William Cullen Bryant<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-stream-of-life/
