Niagara
I
Within the town of Buffalo
Are prosy men with leaden eyes.
Like ants they worry to and fro,
(Important men, in Buffalo.)
But only twenty miles away
A deathless glory is at play:
Niagara, Niagara.
The women buy their lace and cry: —
"O such a delicate design,"
And over ostrich feathers sigh,
By counters there, in Buffalo.
The children haunt the trinket shops,
They buy false-faces, bells, and tops,
Forgetting great Niagara.
Within the town of Buffalo
Are stores with garnets, sapphires, pearls,
Rubies, emeralds aglow, —
Opal chains in Buffalo,
Cherished symbols of success.
They value not your rainbow dress: —
Niagara, Niagara.
The shaggy meaning of her name
This Buffalo, this recreant town,
Sharps and lawyers prune and tame:
Few pioneers in Buffalo;
Except young lovers flushed and fleet
And winds hallooing down the street:
"Niagara, Niagara."
The journalists are sick of ink:
Boy prodigals are lost in wine,
By night where white and red lights blink,
The eyes of Death, in Buffalo.
And only twenty miles away
Are starlit rocks and healing spray: —
Niagara, Niagara.
Above the town a tiny bird,
A shining speck at sleepy dawn,
Forgets the ant-hill so absurd,
This self-important Buffalo.
Descending twenty miles away
He bathes his wings at break of day —
Niagara, Niagara.
II
What marching men of Buffalo
Flood the streets in rash crusade?
Fools-to-free-the-world, they go,
Primeval hearts from Buffalo.
Red cataracts of France today
Awake, three thousand miles away
An echo of Niagara,
The cataract Niagara.
poem by Vachel Lindsay
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Related quotes
Buffalo Gal
Buffalo {repeat 16 times}
Buffalo gal,
Youve had your fun
Your buttons undone
And the times right for slaughter
Buffalo gal
Youre thirsty and theres no more water
Like the lamb on the altar
And its sad to see you looking down and feeling blue
Try your best to get on up and see it through
In a while you might smile and see the sun
Oww, the day has begun
{chorus}
And buffalo gal,
Theyre closing down the old dance hall
Ummm, buffalo gal,
What we gonna do now?
Buffalo gal,
Due to these circumstances
Theres no more dances
Buffalo gal,
[buffalo] all your chances of further romances
Will have to be nil
til I can get it sung
Is a shame your only claim to fame is jessie james
You know his middle name
Thats very strange
Stranger, you knew a friend called the friendly ranger
Oh, ya shared the danger
{repeat chorus}
Buffalo {repeat 16 times}
Buffalo gal,
You must try a big step
Youve got a big jump ahead
Buffalo gal,
The show left town
Spreading sunshine all around
And its bad to see ya, ooh, lookin blue
Dry your eyes and Ill apologise for all the lies
Try a smile and in a while, just in a while
Youll be smiling through
Ooh, buffalo gal,
Theyre closin down the old dance hall [buffalo {repeat 10 times} gal, gal]
And buffalo gal,
Oh, you look so good somehow [buffalo {repeat 9 times} gal]
Oh buffalo gal,
Oh, thats such a pretty dress [buffalo {repeat 8 times} gal]
Buffalo gal,
The show left town [buffalo {repeat 8 times} gal, gal]
Buffalo gal,
Take a picture
Of buffalo gal [buffalo {repeat 10 times}]
song performed by by Thin Lizzy
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Lineson Thorold
McCready the great Irish Tragedian said, the view from Thorold
was the finest in America.
Thorold is famous for its mills,
And the grand view from off its hills-
A view so charming and extended,
Natures beauties sweetly blended.
Poetic thoughts it doth awake
To view Ontario's broad Lake,
And husbandmen have their reward in
Fruits of this provincial garden.
For from the hill you see below
Gardens, where choice fruits do grow,
The landscape all within your reach
Doth both produce the grape and peach.
McCready said, in the New World
The finest view was from Thorold.
You see St. Catharine's charming town
And steamers sailing up and down.
And you can see, on a clear day,
All along Toronto Bay;
And you clearly see the haze
Where Niagara doth amaze.
And glance where Grimsby's gardens yield,
Or view Beamsvill's fruitful field ;
Then this thought yon can advance,
This is Canada's sunny France.
You see Niagara's ancient town *
Though,it has lost its old renown ;
And you have a splendid view
Of boats on old canal and new.
* Niagara, once the capital and business centre of Upper Canada, and also
an important fortress. It is located at the mouth of the Niagara river.
poem by James McIntyre
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Waterfall
I felt the mist
for I'd been kissed
by the Niagara waterfall.
I heard its sound
which wrapped around
and made me feel so small.
I saw the scene
and was caught between
the beauty of it all.
I close my eyes
and still realize
the Niagara will always fall.
poem by Edwina Reizer
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Modern Love XXXIV: Madam Would Speak With Me
Madam would speak with me. So, now it comes:
The Deluge or else Fire! She's well, she thanks
My husbandship. Our chain on silence clanks.
Time leers between, above his twiddling thumbs.
Am I quite well? Most excellent in health!
The journals, too, I diligently peruse.
Vesuvius is expected to give news:
Niagara is no noisier. By stealth
Our eyes dart scrutinizing snakes. She's glad
I'm happy, says her quivering under-lip.
"And are not you?" "How can I be?" "Take ship!
For happiness is somewhere to be had."
"Nowhere for me!" Her voice is barely heard.
I am not melted, and make no pretence.
With commonplace I freeze her, tongue and sense.
Niagara or Vesuvius is deferred.
poem by George Meredith
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Blondin Walking The Tightrope
Everyman is Blondin,
Every lifetime a rope,
finer than a spider's thread,
sharper than a sword,
stretched between birth and death
(breath and breath)
across Niagara.
(Charles Blondin, a French acrobat, was the first man ever to cross Niagara Falls by tightrope in 1859.)
poem by Brian Taylor
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I lived in a small town. It was 2,000 people in Canada. A little river that went through it and we swam in the - you know, there was a lot of water around. Niagara Falls was about four or five miles away.
quote by James Cameron
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Buffalo Springfield Again
Used to play in a rock n roll band,
But they broke up
We were young and we were wild
It ate us up
Now Im not saying who was right or wrong
Looking out on a big green lawn,
Girls and boys
Playing in the afternoon sun,
And lifes a joy
I heard an old song playing on a radio
Buffalo springfield again
Like to see those guys again
And give it a shot
Maybe now we can show the world
What we got
But Id just like to play for the fun we had
Buffalo springfield again
Buffalo springfield again
song performed by by Neil Young
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Niagara Falls
Ravishing grace with paradise on earth
Beauty sprinkles everywhere in Niagara’s Edge
Attractive Skylon Tower and Rainbow bridge
Water bubbles looks like magic Balls
“Maid of the Mist, Niagara Falls
Voluminous water with boating
I’m afraid with white foamy flow,
Mighty heartbeat wind that blows,
The beauty I feel, is in no way olden
Mysterious rainbow is golden,
OMG, how my heart is stolen!
Joyful fireworks on the sky with velocity
Little children’s are watching with curiosity
Extremely heavenly joy and pleasure
It makes me wonder that I want to share
Loving couple watching the falls with love
The fall reflects the beauty of our life together
poem by Rajan Thapaliya
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The fly on the back of a water buffalo thinks that it's taller than the buffalo.
Their expectations...
He sees her as the rainbow at the horizon of his heart,
Appear after slight squabbling drizzle, and the bright,
Shine of repenting smile goes through her, his love,
He sees her as the rainbow at the horizon of his heart.
She sees him as the mist in the vicinity of Niagara Falls,
Frozen in the sea as glacier and hidden in the valleys,
Flows through the river of Niagara to jump on her from the height,
but she rises from the earth and both of them dance in the mid air.
He doesn't want to see her as the moon, as the moon is infidel,
Every Fourteen days her love grows, glows and then diminishes,
She is no where to find for a day, Earth may be patient and kind,
He doesn't want to see her as that infidel,
as she belongs to him every minute.
poem by Veeraiyah Subbulakshmi
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The fat buffalo will attract the lean buffalo.
Once you have been tossed by a buffalo, a black ox looks like a buffalo.
I had the best buffalo horse that ever made a track.
quote by Buffalo Bill
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Buffalo Grieves
they say when a buffalo
is to be butchered by its master
the buffalo would always cry the night
before it is killed.
the child asks why, and the man says,
'Perhaps, it grieves it cannot
serve its master anymore.'
poem by John Tiong Chunghoo
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Buffalo Grass
Saw you once and you looked so sweet
Saw you twice and I felt complete
Three times thought Id get some peace
Dozen times and theres no release
And I was already gone
And life goes on in white and black
Cloaking the stealth of your attack
The tendrils creep through every crack
And every time I cut you off
You grow right back
Like buffalo grass
You crawled across my heart
Oh like buffalo grass
Wrapped yourself around my heart
Day goes by and I think I feel clean
Week goes by and I feel serene
Month goes by like youre just a dream
Year goes by Im back on my knees
When I was already gone
But since you first infected me
Weve been connected karmically
Should I escape your gravity
In every other solar system
There youll be
Like buffalo grass
You crawled across my heart
Oh like buffalo grass
Wrapped yourself around my heart
Like buffalo grass
You crawled across my heart
Oh like hele hele
Cat claw across my heart
Empires fall and the roach will rule
Lifetimes pass and Im still your fool
Universe collapses in a silvery pool
Watering the root that connects me to you
song performed by by Todd Rundgren
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The buffalo isn't as dangerous as everyone makes him out to be. Statistics prove that in the United States more Americans are killed in automobile accidents than are killed by buffalo.
quote by Art Buchwald
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The audience, upon learning that the real Buffalo Bill was present, gave several cheers between the acts.
quote by Buffalo Bill
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Beauty of the Buffalo
Have you ever been up very close
To an animal so extremely large
That you feel quite insignificant
You know you are not in charge?
But you find the beauty of this animal
Is overwhelming to the core
You want to stay there forever
It seems that it is what cameras are for.
That’s how it was for me, my friend
It was in Yellowstone Park that I saw
The Buffalo very close to me
I know that this animal is a major draw.
The Buffalo’s head was simply enormous
And captivating was the face
If only I could have felt secure enough
To get out of my car for a quick embrace.
But no, that was not the case, I’m afraid
We kept on driving very slow
So we did not miss a single moment
As we enjoyed the beauty of the Buffalo!
poem by Marilyn Lott
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Is Buffalo Jerky Big Medicine
Shhhhh.....stay quiet
There is big medicine in being reverent
Around Medicine Wheel
One must esteem this place, son of my son
I have heard that over the ages
Souls have come here to touch the sky
Seeking spiritual nourishment and solace
While offering gifts in honor of great spirits
Will spirit of Crazy Horse
Might heart of Sacajawea
Be offended at our sacrifice
Of buffalo jerky
A sweet grass braid woven
With strands of unfulfilled dreams
Bundles of sunflower-yellow and
Blood-red prayer cloths, damp with tears
Or a beaded bag of secrets
We saw a ring of silver lovingly laid down
All seem more appropriate contributions
For atonement
Is buffalo jerky big medicine
It is all I have, save this shirt on my back
Spirits need no shirts, son of my son, nor buffalo jerky
Though it may be provision for Raven, he has far to fly
Great spirit of Buffalo ought be the one
Who is offended
poem by Barbara Attaway
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Unlikely, Unbecoming
envious of the dog
the buffalo begins to behave like one
when the master comes
it waggles its legs and dances like a puppy
the master is angry
'this is unbecoming of you! '
the master about this is not happy
and whips the buffalo away
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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