Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

SONS OF THE EMPIRE by CHARLES WHITWORTH WYNNE

First Line: DEAR MOTHERLAND! DEAR MOTHERLAND! HOME OF THE / BRAVE AND FREE
Last Line: WHEN THE BUGLES OF BRITAIN BLOW SHRILL BEHIND US!
Subject(s): GREAT BRITAIN - COMMONWEALTH & COLONIES; BRITISH EMPIRE; ENGLAND - EMPIRE;
I

DEAR Motherland! Dear Motherland! Home of the brave and free!
Above the roar of ocean comes thy children's cry to thee
For one united Empire—one flag, one law, one crown,
One Commonwealth on which the sun shall nevermore go down.
@3Sons of the Empire! far and wide,
Danger has found us side by side;
And side by side shall our foemen find us
When the bugles of Britain blow shrill behind us!@1

II

In England's hour of danger, the only friends she knew
Were those of her own blood and bone, of her own pith and thew;
In England's hour of danger, the only friends she'll need
Are the men of her own kith and kin, of her own Viking breed.
@3Sons of the Empire! &c@1.

III

Behold her erstwhile enemies—the friends of all her friends!
For nothing like success succeeds when the fighting fury ends.
They learnt to know the length and reach of England's mighty arm;
And the foreign sneers were exchanged for cheers, and hate for the will to
charm!
@3Sons of the Empire! &c@1.

VI

Free-trade for all is a maxim sound—Free-trade for all the world,
With never a hostile tariff raised, nor a hostile flag unfurl'd;
But until that golden day shall dawn in the generous years to come,
FREE-TRADE WITHIN THE EMPIRE! and widen the bounds of home.
@3Sons of the Empire! far and wide,
Danger has found us side by side;
And side by side shall our foemen find us
When the bugles of Britain blow shrill behind us!@1



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