Paris
The spires upon an ancient hill
Of old fashioned buildings
And a magic wind-mill
And old fashioned lamp-lights,
A colourful scene;
A memory of times past
My, how time goes so fast;
Where once there were fields and
marshes
And people out in the country air
Taking oxen to market
Or going to a country fair;
Now
a wondrous city,
Amusements, entertainments
The city of light.
Where once there were narrow
cobble-stone streets,
Now wide boulevards
and city treats;
Statues on buildings
coloured awnings
and graceful facades
Heaven’s helpers holding placards
Look down upon a city street
Where once did heroes of fiction weep
Or pray from a tower keep
To Sweet Genevieve
Of a Paris eve;
Where once
On a second score
The fashionistas
had an encore
Red, blue and white
The colours of fright
To the very core;
The last refrain
Of a glorious reign
Spanning a thousand years or more;
The fleur-de-lis
Symbol of purity
God given right
To His Majesty,
Lost in the plight
Of a king’s fall
Perhaps now glimpsed
On the stage of a concert hall.
Roll call!
Roll call!
Drums were beating
Lives were fleeting;
Wind back the years
And all the fears
So often,
Ending in so many tears;
And into this fray
Napoleon found his way
The stage was set
For another play.
Where once the Louvre was a royal
residence
Where a king and court resided
Now a place of fine magnificence
And tourists united
In a love of art
History plays its part.
Paris,
A place to go back to-
The walk along the river Seine
The bateau-mouche goes on its way
The artists’ paintings on display,
A Parisian place,
A Parisian way of life
A love of Paris:
The Seine Valley
Decked out in green,
Beautiful fields and meadows.
The lovely wild flowers
Of St Germaine-en-Laye
On a hillside
Overlooking the valley
In all hues
From yellow to blue
So enchanting to view
And behold-
A place to discover
The pleasure and beauty
Of the palace gardens
Of the little town
Out of Paris
A grand place in its day.
The moonlight
gives its soft glow
Over the roof-tops of Paris,
And glimpsed from a window
Of a narrow lane
Bring forth memories
As the links of
A long lost gold chain;
The pigeons of Notre Dame
The children sailing their toy-boats
On a pond of golden measure
Luxembourg gardens,
A real treasure;
These and many other things give
Impressions of Paris;
A pavement drawing
Coloured leaves falling
Leaves which flutter
on a soft breeze
Turn gold in autumn time,
The greenery of a summer vine,
The vibrant and verdant trees;
change orange and yellow
As seasons come and go;
In a faraway time
Paris lost its spell
Its charm and repose,
In winter,
A place where even the river froze-
But now,
A city, where so many dwell-
A city of great warmth
Where a poet, an artist or a dreamer
goes-
Beautiful as a rose
Luminous,
as a story-book picture shows:-
The mill of Montmartre,
The side-walk cafes,
The songs,
The music of Sartre,
Writers and poets remembered by name;
Stroll by a park
Little merry-go-round
Illumined in dark
Enjoy a cafe as the sun goes down
Reflecting its vibrant colours
Over the river Seine
And inspiration is found;
And where from above
A loftier realm
The saints look down
below
A choir sings a religious psalm
light reflects,
a rose window,
glorious as a healing balm;
Statues step back
into shadows of time
The glorious clock
Forever chimes
Now and forever
Paris for all time
The poetry of Paris forever rhymes.
