Stand, thou great bulwark of man's liberty! Thou rock of shelter, rising from the wave, Sole refuge to the overwearied brave Who planned, arose, and battled to be free, Fell, undeterred, then sadly turned to thee,— Saved the free spirit from their country's grave, To rise again, and animate the slave, When God shall ripen all things. Britons, ye Who guard the sacred outpost, not in vain Hold your proud peril! Freemen undefiled, Keep watch and ward! Let battlements be piled Around your cliffs; fleets marshalled, till the main Sink under them; and if your courage wane, Through force or fraud, look westward to your child! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...TO HIS FORSAKEN MISTRESS by ROBERT AYTON TO MY INCONSTANT MISTRESS by THOMAS CAREW ENGLAND (2) by WALTER JOHN DE LA MARE BOSTON COMMON: 1869 by OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES THE BARREL-ORGAN by ALFRED NOYES |