Dear native land! thy wand'ring child Treads on thy shore again, And beautiful, and grand, and wild Thou art to-day as when Mine eyes beheld thee first, and caught From waving wood and rushing stream The shadow of a bright-eyed thought, The spirit of a dream. Crowned with the glory of labor and love, Faith, Loyalty, Virtue and Truth, O Land! let the birth of thy mightiness prove All the beauty and promise of youth! In thee no slaves nor despots dwell To curse the passing hour By deeds that to the future tell Of misery and power. But, bound by love, thy children stand With no dark thoughts between, A noble, free and happy band, For Country and for Queen. Let their voices rise With their beaming eyes, For the Star of Empire glows O'er the northern arch Where the giants march, Whom none can delay or oppose. A new Atlantis for the world, O Canada! thou art; The flag thy children have unfurled Is dear to every heart. Long like our old flag, may it wave— That which for aye shall be The symbol of the true and brave, The banner of the Free! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE LAST WISH by EDWARD ROBERT BULWER-LYTTON THE VANISHING BOAT by EDMUND WILLIAM GOSSE ADDRESS TO A STEAM-VESSEL by JOANNA BAILLIE A THOUGHT ON DEATH by ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD THE ARCIERI OF MICHELANGELO by WILLIAM ROSE BENET |