3
Passage to India！
Lo soul for thee of tableaus twain，
I see in one the Suez canal initiated， open'd，
I see the procession of steamships， the Empress Eugenie's
leading the van，
I mark from on deck the strange landscape， the pure sky， the
level sand in the distance，
I pass swiftly the picturesque groups， the workmen gather'd，
The gigantic dredging machines.
In one again， different， （yet thine， all thine， O soul， the same，）
I see over my own continent the Pacific railroad surmounting
every barrier，
I see continual trains of cars winding along the Platte carrying
freight and passengers，
I hear the locomotives rushing and roaring， and the shrill
steam-whistle，
I hear the echoes reverberate through the grandest scenery in
the world，
I cross the Laramie plains， I note the rocks in grotesque
shapes， the buttes，
I see the plentiful larkspur and wild onions， the barren，
colorless， sage-deserts，
I see in glimpses afar or towering immediately above me the
great mountains， I see the Wind river and the Wahsatch
mountains，
I see the Monument mountain and the Eagle's Nest， I pass
the Promontory， I ascend the Nevadas，
I scan the noble Elk mountain and wind around its base，
I see the Humboldt range， I thread the valley and cross the
river，
I see the clear waters of lake Tahoe， I see forests of majestic
pines，
Or crossing the great desert， the alkaline plains， I behold
enchanting mirages of waters and meadows，
Marking through these and after all， in duplicate slender
lines，
Bridging the three or four thousand miles of land travel，
Tying the Eastern to the Western sea，
The road between Europe and Asia.
（Ah Genoese thy dream！ thy dream！
Centuries after thou art laid in thy grave，
The shore thou foundest verifies thy dream.）