Mountain Memories by Ruby Archer

O ye Mountains, robed in grandeur,
Ye have dazed mine eyes with light,
'Till all other things lack beauty,—
Seeming paltry to your might.

Ye have borne me to your summits
Where the air is heavenly pure.
Now the breath in valleys lurking
Is oppressive to endure.

Ye have opened boundless wonders
Where my fearless eyes could rove.
Now I pine for wide horizons
In the limits of a grove.

But the bondage is less galling
Than unfettered liberty
With no wish, no innate power
To declare my spirit free.