THEE for my recitative! br Thee in the driving storm, even as now--the snow--the winter-day br declining; br Thee in thy panoply, thy measured dual throbbing, and thy beat br convulsive; br Thy black cylindric body, golden brass, and silvery steel; br Thy ponderous side-bars, parallel and connecting rods, gyrating, br shuttling at thy sides; br Thy metrical, now swelling pant and roar--now tapering in the br distance; br Thy great protruding head-light, fix'd in front; br Thy long, pale, floating vapor-pennants, tinged with delicate purple; br The dense and murky clouds out-belching from thy smoke-stack; br Thy knitted frame--thy springs and valves--the tremulous twinkle of br thy wheels; 10 br Thy train of cars behind, obedient, merrily-following, br Through gale or calm, now swift, now slack, yet steadily careering: br Type of the modern! emblem of motion and power! pulse of the br continent! br For once, come serve the Muse, and merge in verse, even as here I see br thee, br With storm, and buffeting gusts of wind, and falling snow; br By day, thy warning, ringing bell to sound its notes, br By night, thy silent signal lamps to swing. br br Fierce-throated beauty! br Roll through my chant, with all thy lawless music! thy swinging lamps br at night; br Thy piercing, madly-whistled laughter! thy echoes, rumbling like an br earthquake, rousing all! 20 br Law of thyself complete, thine own track firmly holding; br (No sweetness debonair of tearful harp or glib piano thine,) br Thy trills of shrieks by rocks and hills return'd, br Launch'd o'er the prairies wide--across the lakes, br To the free skies, unpent, and glad, and strong.