West Virginia, hear the singing of the crystal mountain streams,
Songs of joy and songs of power to fulfill man's mightiest dreams,
West Virginia, hear the singing of thy shadowed forest trees,
Holding the winds, holding the floods, so that thy sons may be at ease.
West Virginia, land of beauty, West Virginia, land of song.
--Esther Eugenia Davis
SKYLINE DRIVE
The Skyline Drive is not a road
To bring you near the skies
Where you can sit and gather clouds
That flit before your eyes,
Or jump upon a golden fleece
And sail to paradise--
But it is a super-mountain road
Where you can feast your eyes
Upon the beauties of the world
The Lord God gave to man
For his enjoyment and his use;
Improve it if you can.
The builders of this Skyline Drive
Have filed no patent right
That they improved upon God's plan,
Nor have more power and might;
But they have seen His handiwork,
This panoramic view,
Have paved this road to ease the load
Of all the world and you.
This is akin to hallowed ground,
A sacred beauty shrine;
Its fame has traveled all around;
It now is yours and mine.
There's little points of vantage--views,
Where you can see afar--
Compare the beauty with that land
That stands with "Gates Ajar."
The people who have given much
To save this precious shrine
Must surely all be friends of God
And friends of yours and mine.
--George A. Barker
FEUD
THE LOVE OF ROSANNA McCOY
Come and listen to my story
Of fair Rosanna McCoy.
She loved young Jonse Hatfield,
Old Devil Anse's boy.
But the McCoys and Hatfields
Had long engaged in strife,
And never the son of a Hatfield
Should take a McCoy to wife.
But when they met each other,
On Blackberry Creek, they say,
She was riding behind her brother,
When Jonse came along that way.
"Who is that handsome fellow?"
She asked young Tolbert McCoy.
Said he, "Turn your head, sister.
That's Devil Anse's boy."
But somehow they met each other,
And it grieved the Hatfields sore;
While Randall, the young girl's father,
Turned his daughter from the door.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account