America to Great Britain

all hail! thou noble land, Our Fathers’ native soil! Oh, stretch thy mighty hand, Gigantic grown by toil, O’er the vast Atlantic wave to our shore! For thou with magic might Canst reach to where the light Of Phœbus travels bright The world o’er! The Genius of our clime, From his pine-embattled steep, Shall hail the guest sublime; While the Tritons of the deep With their conchs the kindred league shall proclaim. Then let the world combine,— O’er the main our naval line Like the milky-way shall shine Bright in fame! Though ages long have past Since our Fathers left their home, Their pilot in the blast, O’er untravelled seas to roam, Yet lives the blood of England in our veins! And shall we not proclaim That blood of honest fame Which no tyranny can tame By its chains? While the language free and bold Which the bard of Avon sung, In which our Milton told How the vault of heaven rung When Satan, blasted, fell with his host;— While this, with reverence meet, Ten thousand echoes greet, From rock to rock repeat Round our coast;— While the manners, while the arts, That mould a nation’s soul, Still cling around our hearts,— Between let Ocean roll, Our joint communion breaking with the Sun: Yet still from either beach The voice of blood shall reach, More audible than speech, “We are One.”

Collection: 

More from Poet

ALL hail; thou noble land, Our Fathers’ native soil! O, stretch thy mighty hand, Gigantic grown by toil, O’er the vast Atlantic wave to our shore! For thou with magic might Canst reach to where the light Of Phœbus travels bright The world o’...

Ah, then how sweetly closed those crowded days! The minutes parting one by one, like rays That fade upon a summer’s eve. But O, what charm or magic numbers Can give me back the gentle slumbers Those weary, happy days did leave? When by my bed I saw my mother kneel, And with her blessing...

“o pour upon my soul again That sad, unearthly strain, That seems from other worlds to plain; Thus falling, falling from afar, As if some melancholy star Had mingled with her light her sighs, And dropped them from the skies! “No,—never came from aught below This melody of woe, That...

all hail! thou noble land, Our Fathers’ native soil! Oh, stretch thy mighty hand, Gigantic grown by toil, O’er the vast Atlantic wave to our shore! For thou with magic might Canst reach to where the light Of Phœbus travels bright The world o’er! The...