(In 1898, war between Chile and Argentine having been averted by arbitration, a bronze statue of Christ was erected on the very summit of the Andes, on the disputed boundary line, as a monument of perpetual peace.) O, blood-red races, lift your eyes Toward the Southern Cross! Two valiant rivals rise above The war clouds' direful loss. And these the lands that once were torn By the bloody Almagro— Where freedom followed Bolivar A hundred years ago! How oft they trod the crimson path The race itself hath trod, And trampled on the flower of Peace, That sacred flower of God. But now on Andes' dazzling height, The earth and heaven between, They lift the nations' arbiter— The Christ of Argentine! Then come, thou sturdy Southern sons, Receive thou each a star! A nobler coronet you've won Than e'er was won in war. Your nitrate beds and sulphur mines That fed the fumes of hell, Shall hurl a thousand blessings now, Instead of shot and shell. And bleeding Mercy, lift thy head! The race will yet be free! The Christ of Peace has been enthroned Where all the world can see. Grim prophet of the Golden Dawn, Majestic and serene, The snowy peak thy pedestal, Thou Christ of Argentine! Let fair Aurora Australis Use all her magic light To paint a halo o'er thy head On winter's silent night. Then flash a signal to The Hague, And one to heaven be hurled; "The parliament of man appears, The federated world!" Forever hold thy regal throne, The earth and heaven between, Till all the tribes have joined their hands With Christ of Argentine! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ANNE by LIZETTE WOODWORTH REESE THE NONSENSE SAW OF A SAW-GIRL I SAW IN ARKANSAW by FRED W. ALLSOPP A PRIZE RIDDLE ON HERSELF WHEN 24 by ELIZABETH FRANCES AMHERST CHARACTERS: MRS. FENTON by ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD SAVONAROLA BROWN, SELECTION by HENRY MAXIMILIAN BEERBOHM WRITTEN AT SEA by WILFRID SCAWEN BLUNT THREE MINUS ONE (REFRAIN SUGGESTED BY DR. RICHARD HOFFMAN) by BERTON BRALEY |