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Monday, July 22, 2024

Archibald Lampman Plaque (To The Ottawa)

The plaque commemoration Archibald Lampman with his poem, 'To The Ottawa,' resides on a rock on the north side of the Rideau River in the New Edinburgh Park.





Parcours des poètes
POETS' PATHWAY

TO THE OTTAWA
Archibald Lampman (1861-1899)

Dear dark-brown waters full of all the stain
Of sombre spruce-woods and the forest fens,
Laden with sounds from far-off northern glens
Where winds and craggy cataracts complain,
Voices of streams and mountain pines astrain,
The pines that brood above the roaring foam
Of La Montagne or Des Érables; thine home
Is distant yet, a shelter far to gain.
Aye still to eastward, past the shadowy lake
And the long slopes of Rigaud toward the sun,
The mightier stream, thy comrade, waits for thee,
The beryl waters that espouse and take
Thine in their deep embrace, and bear thee on
In that great bridal journey to the sea.

The Poets' Pathway honours Canada's poets, especially Ottawa's historic poets, and teh lands that inspired them. It memorializes the literary heritage of the Confederation Poets and francophone poets of the time — the earliest voices of our distinctive Canadian tradition.

Le Parcours des poètes rend hommage aux poètes du Canada, en particulier à ceux qui ont marqué l'histoire d'Ottawa, et aux paysages qui les ont inspirés. Il commémore l'heritage littéraire des « Poètes de la Confédération » et de poètes francophones de la même période - les premières voix distinctes de la tradition canadienne.