Classic Poem

O, THE LOVELY RIVERS and lakes of Maine!
I am charmed with their names, as my song will explain;
Aboriginal muses inspire my strain,
While I sing the bright rivers and lakes of Maine—
From Cupsuptic to Cheputmatticook,
From Sagadahock to Pohenegamook—
'gamook, 'gamook,
Pohenegamook,
From Sagadahock to Pohenegamook.

For light serenading the “Blue Moselle,”
“Bonnie Doon” and “Sweet Avon” may do very well;
But the rivers of Maine, in their wild solitudes,
Bring a thunderous sound from the depth of the woods:
The Aroostook and Chimmenticook,
The Chimpanaoc and Chinquassabamtook—
'bamtook, 'bamtook,
Chinquassabamtook,
The Chimpassoc and Chinquassabamtook,
Behold how they sparkle and flash in the sun!
The Mattewamkeag and the Mussungun;
The kingly Penobscot, the wild Woolastook,
Kennebec, Kennebago and Sebasticook;
The pretty Presumpscut and gay Tulanbic;
The Ess'quilsagook and little Schoodic—
Schoodic, Schoodic;
The little Schoodic;
The Ess'quilsagook and little Schoodic.

Yes, yes, I prefer the bright rivers of Maine
To the Rhine or the Rhone or the Saône or the Seine;
These may do for the Cockney, but give me some nook
On the Ammonoosuc or the Wytopadiook.
On the Umsaskis or the Ripogenis,
The Ripogenis or the Piscataquis—
'aquis, 'aquis,
The Piscataquis.

“Away down South,” the Cherokee
Has named his river the Tennessee,
The Chattahoochee and the Ocmulgee,
The Congaree and the Ohoopee;
But what are they, or the Frenchy Detroit,
To the Passadumkeag or the Wassatoquoit—
'toquoit, 'toquoit,
The Wassatoquoit,
To the Passadumkeag or the Wassatoquoit—

Then turn to the beautiful lakes of Maine
(To the Sage of Auburn be given the strain,
The statesman whose genius and bright fancy makes
The earth's highest glories to shine in its lakes);
What lakes out of Maine can we place in the book
With the Matagomon and the Pangokomook
'omook, 'omook,
The Pangokomook.
With the Matagomon and the Pangokomook?

Lake Leman, or Como, what care I for them,
When Maine has the Moosehead and Pangokwahem,
And, sweet as the dews in the violet's kiss,
Wallahgosqueqamook and Telesimis;
And when I can share in the fisherman's bunk
On the Moosetuckmaguntic or Mol'tunkamunk—
'amunk, 'amunk,
Or Mol'tunkamunk,
On the Moosetuckmaguntic or Mol'tunkamunk?

And Maine has the Eagle Lakes, Cheppawagan,
And the little Sepic and the little Scapan,
The spreading Sebago, the Congomgomoc,
The Milliemet and Motesoinloc,
Caribou and the fair Anmonjenegamook,
Oquassac and rare Wetokenebacook—
'acook, 'acook,
Wetokenebacook,
Oquassac and rare Wetokenebacook.

And there are the Pokeshine and Patquongomis;
And there is the pretty Coscomgonnosis,
Romantic Umbagog and Pemadumook,
The Pemadumook and the old Chesuncook,
Sepois and Mooseleuk; and take care not to miss
The Umbazookskus or the Sysladobsis
'dobsis, 'dobsis,
The Sysladobsis.
The Umbazookskus or the Sysladobsis.

O, give me the rivers and lakes of Maine,
In her mountains or forests or fields of grain,
In the depth of the shade or the blaze of the sun,
The lakes of Schoodic and the Basconegun,
And the dear Waubasoos and the clear Aquessuc,
The Cosbosecontic and Millenkikuk—
'kikuk, 'kikuk,
The Millenkikuk,
The Cosbosecontic and Millenkikuk!