Poems (Rice)/On Christening the Ammonoosuck

by Maria Theresa Rice

ON CHRISTENING THE AMMONOOSUCK, BY A YOUNG DAUGHTER OF THE LATE CAPTAIN FRENCH, U. S. N

BEAUTIFUL child, my memory haunting,
 Loosen thy tresses of jet to the breeze;
Stand by thy sire, with heart never daunting,
 Christen this day what we give to the seas;
Stand 'neath our flag on the iron-clad rover,
 Firm on her deck, O thou vision of light,
While we implore of Him, over and over,
 To guide and to guard with His infinite might.

Stand thou, a type of our wishes fulfilling,
 A symbol of love, all pure from the soul,
While cheers and while cannon the heavens are thrilling,
 And music is lending its charms to the whole;
Give to the seas now her name, while repeating
 Ammonoosuck, the name of the river that flows
From hills where the sun and clouds are competing,
 Where peacefully nature her grandeur bestows.

O, brothers at war, if ye were but beholding,
 If ye in your dreams this glad morning could view
Her image, the mystical waters enfolding,
 No more would ye battle or terrors pursue;
No more should we call for armor or casing
 To shield from the blows that in madness are sent,
No more should we start with passions abasing,
 No more should our homes with sorrow be rent.

A symbol of peace—it is childhood beseeching,
 A herald sent forth, ah, beloved ones, to-day,
The dove with a branch, in holiness teaching
 That prayers of our fathers our foemen obey;
Beautiful child, while throngs are attending,
 O, nobly baptize her all clad in her mail,
Protecting, uniting, our honor defending,
 Quelling each conflict, outriding each gale.