Reflections.

On the margin of a lakelet,
    In a rugged mountain clime,
Where precipice and pinnacle
    Of countenance sublime,
Cast their weird, austere reflections
    In the water's glistening sheen,
I strolled in contemplative mood,
    Both pensive and serene.

As in a crystal mirror,
    In that lakelet's placid face,
I saw the mountains upside down,
    With all their pristine grace;
I saw each cliff and point of rocks,
    I saw the stately pine,
Inverted in fantastic form
    Below the water line.

I paused in admiration;
    And with calm complacency
I marveled at this photograph
    From nature's gallery;
And as my eyes surveyed the scene
    With solemn grandeur fraught,
This simile flashed through my mind
    As instantly as thought:

As the stern, majestic mountains,
    Without error or mistake,
Were reflected in the bosom
    Of that cool, pellucid lake,
So our every thought and action,
    Be it deed of hate or love,
May be photographed in record
    In that gallery above.