Charon.
Who goes across those waters
On which the Moon ne'er shone,
With the passenger he came for
As in a dream moved on?
Cypress and yews o'ershadow
The verge on either side,
Within whose boughs for ever
The winds of woe abide.
And all the air is haunted
With a wail that seems to flow
From the living lips of Sorrow
As the ages come and go.
The boatman, dumb and hoary,
Pulls with a steady pull,
And the dead man seems to listen
To voices beautiful.
And it may be the weird River
Has sights we cannot see,
And the far shore burns its signals
Of eerie mystery.
And Charon knows each signal —
Above the River's rim
The spectral lights that glimmer
Are pilot-stars for him.
Ay me! he knows the water
As few, few boatmen know;
'Tis not the first he's taking
Down where we all must go!
poem by Robert Crawford
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Related quotes
The River That Murmurs
I will ask the river, that flows serene
I will speak to the sky
I will ask the river that murmurs
Not to ask me why
I cannot speak for myself.
That time has long since passed me by.
The river can murmur and sing
Unspent by passion: my voice
Will break like a terribly taut string.
My words will be grammatically and academically
Twisted (like that leafless tree) , unfortunately!
I want the river to speak, to speak
Alone, alone with thee.
The river can, softly and without tears
Tell you my dreams and my fears
I know you will listen:
And while city lights in the water glisten
You wont see the tears that shine on my face
No, that is a serious, sentimental place
That only I know;
Flow, river, flow.
Flow, river flow.
Speak to the only love I know.
Daybreak approaches soon
You and he by the light of the moon
Will murmur whilst I -
Will wait for you to bring me his reply.
poem by Rani Turton
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The Talking River
I hear the river
Words flow down the pebble creek through my heart
Defy my understanding
It comes from unknown source, and
Proceeds to unforeseen destinations
It mirrors everything in my life, and says
It’s okay to make mistake sometimes
River passes us by, and
Flow on to other places
So often I listen to it for a second
Hold the words in the palm of my hands
Before it slips through my fingers
Always the river
Remind me love and hatred has no end
So are words has no limits
I will listen to what you say, and
We listen to the river again
The talking river holds its promise
Its steady flow forgives all blemishes
Its current washes off sinking debris
Cleanse our heart as we listen to it
Deliver Me Out
Deliver me out of the river of your love,
And do not allow me to be drawn;
For i am in the deep waters of your love and,
You stood in awe because you were moved by my passion.
Of the emotions of this river,
I am in the deep waters of your love and i need help;
And you have to put joy into my heart to deliver me out!
You are all about this river and i need your deliverance,
So come and save me and take me home;
For the one who needs my love also wants me on this case.
This river has taken me so far,
So come and deliver me out of this deep water of your love!
For i'm about to sink into the mire of deep places.
Fill my lips with rejoicing and come forward to me,
For my heart desires to meet you around;
But listen to the pleadings from my mouth of love,
For i am in the deep waters of your sweet love!
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
A River For Him
(emmylou harris)
I crossed on the river
Therell be no returning
I crossed all the bridges
I watched them all burning
And now Im a stranger
To a strange land Im driven
Where all is forgotten
And nothings forgiven
But I cried a river
A river for him
Thats deeper and wider
Than Ill ever swim
The heart it will harden
The sorrow will dim
But I cried a river
A river for him
I think of him now
On the road I am taking
And wonder how long
His heart will be breaking
But hell never hear when
The teardrops are falling
Or the sound of my voice
And the name Im calling
But I cried a river
A river for him
Thats deeper and wider
Than Ill ever swim
The heart it will harden
The sorrow will dim
But I cried a river
A river for him
So sweep for the sons
And the dear darling daughters
For the passing of time
And the parting of waters
For all who have passed through
This world long before me
To a far distant shore line
Where no one waits for me
But I cried a river
A river for him
Thats deeper and wider
Than Ill ever swim
The heart it will harden
The sorrow will dim
But I cried a river
A river for him
song performed by by Emmylou Harris
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
No One Steps Twice On The River Of Life...
it is not the rage of this river.
when i was a child, as mother says,
i keep my finger inside my mouth
sucked by my throat, to keep hunger away
beside the bank of this river
i am the spectator
and the river believes in the magic
of my innocence
it flows always in a distant
affection,
it is not the rage of the river,
it is i, the grown up man who goes swimming
in the river and feel
the joys of its cool waters
always moving on towards
a destination
it is the swimming with a friend
and then
with a lover and then with a wife
and then my silence,
what we do not have we force to forget
it is the bathing in the river
the rinsing and the cleansing of the waters
it is not the rage of this river
and then we become too weak to be in this river
the river moves on and on
towards the deepest sea looking for the
opening
i wait by the bank of this river
many things have been missed
the more important ones
the one that gives the posterity of
my humanity
it is denied of me because of this river
that gives me nothing
all the while i was the leaf that fell off from
the tree
on the side of this river
and i floated because i have nothing to do
because i can do nothing about
the flow of the river
i become the dead leaf that the air
rides upon
tossed and bumped on boulders
till i sink
deep down the river
that i shall pass only once.
time.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
There Is a River We All Must Cross
There is a river we all must cross,
Thousands will pass it tomorrow;
Some will go down to its waters with joy,
Others with anguish and sorrow.
Some will be welcom'd by angel bands,
Coming from over the river;
Others be borne by the current adown,
Where there is none to deliver.
These shall land safely in Eden's bow'rs,
Wearing the white robes of pardon;
Those shall be cast on a desolate shore,
Far from the gates of the garden.
These shall have voices to join the song
Ever from Eden ascending;
Those shall unite in the wailings of woe
Woe, that hath never an ending.
Over the river we all must cross,
Jesus may call us tomorrow;
Shall we go down to its waters with joy?
Shall we with anguish and sorrow?
poem by Henry Clay Work
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Washing Of The Water
River, river carry me on
Living river carry me on
River, river carry me on
To the place where I come from
So deep, so wide, will you take me on your back for a ride
If I should fall, would you swallow me deep inside
River, show me how to float
I feel like Im sinking down
Thought that I could get along
But here in this water
My feet wont touch the ground
I need something to turn myself around
Going away, away towards the sea
River deep, can you lift up and carry me
Oh roll on though the heartland
til the sun has left the sky
River, river carry me high
til the washing of the water make it all alright
Let your waters reach me like she reached me tonight
Letting go, its so hard
The way its hurting now
To get this love untied
So tough to stay with thing
cause if I follow through
I face what I denied
I get those hooks out of me
And I take out the hooks that I sunk deep in your side
Kill that fear of emptiness, loneliness I hide
River, oh river, river running deep
Bring me something that will let me get to sleep
In the washing of the water will you take it all away
Bring me something to take this pain away
song performed by by Peter Gabriel
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Beautiful River
And he showed me a pure River of Water of Life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb." -- Rev. xxii. 1
Shall we gather at the river
Where bright angel feet have trod;
With its crystal tide forever
Flowing by the throne of God?
CHORUS.
Yes, we'll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river --
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.
On the margin of the river,
Washing up its silver spray,
We will walk and worship ever,
All the happy, golden day.
Yes, we'll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river --
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.
On the bosom of the river,
Where the Saviour-king we own,
We shall meet, and sorrow never
'Neath the glory of the throne. Cho.
Yes, we'll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river --
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.
Ere we reach the shining river,
Lay we every burden down;
Grace our spirits will deliver,
And provide a robe and crown. Cho.
Yes, we'll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river --
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.
At the smiling of the river,
Rippling with the Saviour's face,
Saints, whom death will never sever,
Lift their songs of saving grace. Cho.
Yes, we'll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river --
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.
Soon we'll reach the shining river,
Soon our pilgrimage will cease,
Soon our happy hearts will quiver
With the melody of peace. Cho.
Yes, we'll gather at the river,
The beautiful, the beautiful river --
Gather with the saints at the river
That flows by the throne of God.
poem by Robert Wadsworth Lowry
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Dry River Bed
The river- was, but died away,
leaving behind sand and stone,
a dry river bed.
The river that once led the way,
To Rameses throne,
Has no more life- dead.
The river from which reeds grew and swayed,
now dead and gone,
all that's left-a dry river bed.
The river that was marvelous by day,
and treacherous once the sun was gone,
is now but a dri river bed.
The river- beautiful, no words could say,
left behind - just a dry river bed.
poem by Esnala Banda
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Spring On The River
O sun, shine hot on the river;
For the ice is turning an ashen hue,
And the still bright water is looking through,
And the myriad streams are greeting you
With a ballad of life to the giver,
From forest and field and sunny town,
Meeting and running and tripping down,
With laughter and song to the river.
Oh! the din on the boats by the river;
The barges are ringing while day avails,
With sound of hewing and hammering nails,
Planing and painting and swinging pails,
All day in their shrill endeavor;
For the waters brim over their wintry cup,
And the grinding ice is breaking up,
And we must away down the river.
Oh! the hum and the toil of the river;
The ridge of the rapid sprays and skips:
Loud and low by the water's lips,
Tearing the wet pines into strips,
The saw mill is moaning ever.
The little grey sparrow skips and calls
On the rocks in the rain of the water falls,
And the logs are adrift in the river.
Oh! restlessly whirls the river;
The rivulets run and the cataract drones:
The spiders are flitting over the stones:
Summer winds float and the cedar moans;
And the eddies gleam and quiver.
O sun; shine hot, shine long and abide
In the glory and power of the summer tide
On the swift longing face of the river.
poem by Archibald Lampman
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Painter’s Agony
I want to paint that river
And the scene behind it
The boat and the boatmen
I know everything about
That river
My association with the river
Many a hundred memories
Evenings and sunshines
Floods and slow water
I have lived my life
On the bank of that river
I want to paint
Paint it with the most beautiful colors
I want to borrow some colors
From the colors of paradise
And I love the town
That lives beside the river
Old and dusty
Where shall I take you
In that small town
Every nook and corner
Shall tell you that it knows me
I want to paint that town
In colors of heaven
I want to carry a few children
And take them on a tour
I want to see the town with their eyes
And then go to the riverbank
And meditate for a while
Drink the wine of nature
And get lost into the world of beauty
And flow with the river
Enter every house
My heart throbs in harmony
With every heart in the town
Give me colors divine
Colors from the other world
For I want to paint
That river and that town
(This poem is about a small town on the bank of river Indus)
poem by Sadiqullah Khan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Friday's Child
(K.J.Garside C.Gray)
........my daughter,
take her from the water.......
I laid her down.......
For she drinks from the river,
I pray forgive her,
Dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb.
Girl a string of lovers,
Found dead beneath her,
They pulled her down,
For she drinks from the river,
I pray forgive her,
Don't let her drown,
Dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb.
A prayer for the mind who's thread bare,
For those who dare to tread there,
Now the sun is gone,
Oh I pray for my daughter,
I pray support her,
Don't let her drown,
Dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb.
song performed by by Queen Adreena
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Waterway Crossing
The river flowed
Serenely at first
Then turbulently
Before finally drying up
Still, his effervescence,
Not his evanescence
Is what wells up in my memory
For his waters, running,
Unleashed a dam in my soul
That the words stuck within
Now rush forth unrelenting
A whole decade's worth of words
I never knew how to speak before
So I am grateful to the river
For tapping gently at my core
Yet sadder all the same
To realize, that beautiful river far away
Had to stop flowing
Before the one inside of me
Could start pouring out at will
Nevertheless, my river shall go on
It shan't be kept silent
It shan't be quieted by sorrow
Perhaps one day it'll flow,
As all rivers eventually do,
Straight into the great big ocean
Where the first river had gone on to
And when our waters meet
He would not know me
He would not realize his feat
He would not greet me like a sister
And even so, the crossing would be sweet
poem by Donna Dolorical
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
River So Wide
If we can cross at the place that divides us.
Cross the river, the river so wide,
If we can smother the pain thats inside us,
Deny the demons that wait bu our side,
We can find, find the light
Our nights are filled with the light of the same moon,
We share the comfort of the same stars.
Our days are bright with the light of the same sun,
That dont matter, cant you see what we are,
What we are, what we become?
Keep our sights on the way ahead,
Dont look back, it wont help us now.
The storm we left so far behind
Seems a dark memory that starts to fade,
But till we see the light we will not be safe.
We all sink or swin in the same ocean,
Break our skin and we will bleed
Our minutes pass with the same motion,
We face the same danger, we share the same needs,
Were all the same, you and me.
Keep our sights on the way ahead,
Dont look back, that wont help us now.
Upstream, the river gets too wide
So we must build that bridge right here,
cos if we wait we will not reach the other side.
See under that clear blue sky
The winds of change are blowing hard and long,
And theyll not stop to rest cos the change is gonna come
Our nights are filled with the light of the same moon,
We share the comfort of the same stars.
Our days are bright with the light of the same sun,
That dont matter, cant you see what we are,
What we are, what we become?
Keep our sights on the way ahead,
Dont look back, it wont help us now.
cos upstream the river gets too wide
And if we dont build that bridge right here, right now,
You know well never ever reach the other side.
song performed by by Phil Collins
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Lips Like Sugar
She floats like a swan
Grace on the water
Lips like sugar
Lips like sugar
Just when you think you've caught her
She glides across the water
She calls for you tonight
To share this moonlight
She'll flow down your river
And ask him and she'll give you
Lips like sugar
Sugar kisses
Lips like sugar
Sugar kisses
She knows what she knows
I know what she's thinking
Sugar kisses
Sugar kisses
Just when you think she's yours
She's flown to other shores
To laugh at how you break
To melt into this lake
She'll flow down your river
And ask him and she'll give you
Lips like sugar
Sugar kisses
Lips like sugar
Sugar kisses
She'll be my mirror
Reflect what I am
A loser and a winner
The King of Siam
And my Siamese twin
She knows what I'm thinking
???
She'll flow down your river
And ask him and she'll give you
Lips like sugar
Sugar kisses
Lips like sugar
Sugar kisses
song performed by by Coldplay
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
The Once Great River
In the once great river pollution is rife
Nowadays it does not support much aquatic life
In a polluted river fresh water fish rare
Pollution can cause extinction of that much we are aware
On the polluted river few water birds to be seen
Most of the river pools covered in algae of green
From sewage and wash of chemical fertilisers that in drains into it does flow
With so called human progress the scourge of pollution does grow
Pollution in it flowing to the distant ocean shore
The once great river is not great anymore
Do not drink of these waters the warning signs say
Pollutiuon is rife in the World of today
And the once great river flows on muddy gray
To the mighty ocean many miles away.
poem by Francis Duggan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Frozen Dance
The tree is without leaves
Lifting one arm in the direction of the air
The head as if to see
The dry river bed
The stones have been cut sharply
By wind
There had been some water
And the river had been in flow
This bridge is built in vain
The other tree
Had been a fisherman
The first one
The beautiful fairy
Taking a bath
And in sight of a dream
Is now a tree
In the shape of frozen dance
Islamabad
28/5/2010
poem by Sadiqullah Khan
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Free River
Free River flow, Free River
so cold, Free River
you’re getting old.
Free River don’t cry, Free River
you’ve run dry.
I still see you through my youth’s eyes.
Free River you told no lies, Free River
your path has been made, Free River
all things change.
Free River you made it to the sea.
The friends I swam with once
are now gone, left only me.
Free River you’re worth more than gold, Free River
I've grown old.
I’ve lived by you my whole life and
I’ve left my seed through my wife, Free River
I lie at your shore; now dry,
Free River it’s my time to die.
poem by Patrick Dumas
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Star Light River
Star Light river how beautiful you are
With your unforgettable sunset on the river's edge
The colors of orange, gold, pink and red
Tiny little violets growing here and there
Then the stars come out lighting up the waterfront
Looking like tiny diamonds moving in their very own private dance
The lights of the city add to the glow
There is nothing more beautiful than the river's flow
The river that I have always called Star Light river
If only it could talk I'll bet it could tell us so many secrets
About love and life; I know that I love to sit and take in its beauty
It has such a peace that I enjoy
When I am feeling sad
I feel that it really understands
My very inner thoughts and I am not really alone
What a beautiful friend to have
It never deserts me
It is always there. I love you Star Light river
I promise I will be back to watch your very own private dance
Remembering my stories of love and romance
poem by Alma Jean Epps
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The Loss Of Contact
without contact
there is no flare
no electricity for
months
and you scream
that you will be
dead soon
it is like night
without moon & stars
like a dried river bank
all bare stones
an abandoned well
waters stinking
veins without blood
cracked lips without
clue of water without
gloss and shine
talk to me
if this is all about sex.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!