"On Yuba City" by John Rollin Ridge
The Yuba City silent stands
Where Providence has placed her,
The glory's passed to other hands,
That should by right have graced her.
She stands with aspect sad but high,
And gazes on the river,
That like a stranger passes by,
And nothing has to give her.
Alas, that beauty thus should fade,
Or live so unregarded!
And all the efforts art has made
Or her, pass unrewarded!
Are not her groves most fair to see,
Her paths full greenly skirted?
What has she said, or done, to be
Thus doomed, and thus deserted?
Though melancholy her decline,
By mem'ries sweet 't is haunted,
And luring tones and forms divine
Still make her scenes enchanted.
There, peace domestic reigns supreme,
In quiet, holy beauty,
And like the smiles of angels, seem
Parental, filial duty.
Her aged ones are good and mild,
Her children fair and witty.
But Caroline's the fairest child
That charms the lonely city!
I've seen her at the morning prime—
The sky looked sweeter, bluer!
I've seen her at the evening time—
The stars seemed bending to her!
Oh, Yuba City ! 'tis a sin
Thou 'rt lonely and forsaken,
When uglier cities favor win,
And prosperous paths have taken.
Who seeks for beauty, they shall meet
The picture where they find thee—
The Feather River at thy feet,
The lofty Buttes behind thee.
And they will bless the quiet scene
That holds thee like a jewel,
And weep that thou 'st abandoned been
To fortunes cold and cruel.
But, Yuba City, time will cast
The changes in thy favor,
The future shall redeem the past—
Thou 'lt stand whilst others waver!
Historic Context: John Rollin Ridge was a member of the Cherokee Nation and wrote in the mid-nineteenth century. Ridge was a lawyer and went West during the gold rush but didn't like mining, so he started spending more time writing novels, poetry, and essays. Yuba City boomed during the gold rush only to collapse after the miners moved on. During the Mexican-American War, Ridge spoke out against the way Mexicans were treated, and he carried that momentum into fighting for Native American rights after the war ended. He was regarded as the first Native American novelist.
What does the following line tell the reader about Yuba City?
What has she said, or done, to be
Thus doomed, and thus deserted?
A. Yuba City is lost to history.
B. Yuba City is doomed.
C. Yuba City is a historic sight to see.
D. Yuba City is preserved for generations.
