The Poems of Henry Van Dyke by Henry Van Dyke
page 259 of 481 (53%)
page 259 of 481 (53%)
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Will all be foreign-born!
Turn thy clear look of scorn Upon thy children who oppose Their passions wild and policies of shame To wreck the righteous splendour of thy name. Untaught and overconfident they rise, With folly on their lips, and envy in their eyes: Strong to destroy, but powerless to create, And ignorant of all that made our fathers great, Their hands would take away thy golden crown, And shake the pillars of thy freedom down In Anarchy's ocean, dark and desolate. O should that storm descend, What fortress shall defend The land our fathers wrought for, The liberties they fought for? What bulwark shall secure Her shrines of law, and keep her founts of justice pure? Then, ah then, As in the olden days, The builders must upraise A rampart of indomitable men. And once again, Dear Mother, if thy heart and hand be true, There will be building work for thee to do; Yea, more than once again, Thou shalt win lasting praise, And never-dying honour shall be thine, For setting many stones in that illustrious line, To stand unshaken in the swirling strife, |
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