Which stand in its ill-fated line,

As bearded grain, mature and lithe,

Goes down before the reaper's scythe.

Or, when the cyclone's baleful force,

In flood of atmospheric wrath,

Pursues its devastating course,

Leaving but ruin in its path;

Despoiling in a moment's span

The most exalted works of man;

Or waters, suddenly set free,