The Four Lakes of Madison

Four limpid lakes,—four Naiades
Or sylvan deities are these,
&nbsp In flowing robes of azure dressed;
Four lovely handmaids, that uphold
Their shining mirrors, rimmed with gold,
&nbsp To the fair city in the West.

By day the coursers of the sun
Drink of these waters as they run
&nbsp Their swift diurnal round on high;
By night the constellations glow
Far down the hollow deeps below,
&nbsp And glimmer in another sky.

Fair lakes, serene and full of light,
Fair town, arrayed in robes of white,
&nbsp How visionary ye appear!
All like a floating landscape seems
In cloud-land or the land of dreams,
&nbsp Bathed in a golden atmosphere!