 | Areytos or songs and ballads of the South |  |
52
DEATH, BUT NEVER DISHONOR!
I.
Death, but never Dishonor!If Freedom we now must resign,
Be the fields where our fathers first won her,
Her burial-place and her shrine!
There let us marshal our powers,
Sworn to our ancestors' fame,
And if victory may not be ours,
At least we shall sink without shame.
II.
Sons have forgotten their mothers,Traitors with foes are allied,
And those we have cherished as brothers,
Shrink in dismay from our side;
Realms that still share in our danger,
Tremble to share in the strife—
Yield up the field to the stranger,
Liberty selling for life!
III.
Never for us thy foul story,Unless from the past you may tear
Every record that tells of the glory
Of the sires whose weapons we wear!
The birthright of place which they gave us,
Is naught to their birthright of fame;
Foes may crush, but they shall not enslave us!
Hate may conquer, but never shall shame!
| Areytos or songs and ballads of the South | |