O praise me not the country—
The meadows green and cool,
The solemn glow of sunsets, the hidden silver pool!
The city for my craving,
Her lordship and her slaving,
The hot stones of her paving
For me, a city fool!
The city for my yearning,
My spending and my earning.
Her winding ways for learning,
Sing hey! the city streets!
The city for my wooing,
My dreaming and my doing;
Her beauty for pursuing,
Her deathless mysteries.
The city for my wonder,
Her glory and her blunder,
And O the haunting thunder
Of the Elevated cars!