University of Virginia Library

While FREEDOM's injur'd sons (to the dire woes
Of abject slav'ry or destruction doom'd)
Who to assert their rights indignant rose,
And threaten'd vengeance to oppose
The arduous task assum'd,
With pow'rful and malicious foes,
A doubtful war to wage,
Insulted and oppress'd no more,
Triumph at length victorious o'er
All their unrighteous claims and all their cruel rage;
While o'er the late embroil'd domain
Tranquillity resumes her reign,
All the dire horrors of the contest cease,
And, spite of all her envious foes,
Th' united sweets Columbia knows
Of Independence, Liberty and PEACE;—
While haughty Britain yields,
No more the sword of slaughter wields,
Nor longer fills Columbia's fields
With terrible alarms;
But, after all her swelling boasts,
Despairing of her ruin'd cause,
Herself rescinds her own oppressive laws,
And blushing from our long beleaguer'd coasts
Reluctantly withdraws
Her disconcerted troops and unavailing arms;—
And while the nations far and near
Wonder with deep astonishment to hear,
That by a Rebel child
The tyranness omnipotent is foil'd,
And all Columbia's kind allies,
The patrons of her freedom, see,
With equal pleasure and surprize,
The injur'd righted and th' oppressed free;—
At this grand period, this important date
Of a new Empire, in the book of fate,
Destin'd to be without example great;
Kind Heaven's indulgent smiles,
False Britain's baffled wiles
And Freedom's conquests all my thoughts employ.
Fain would I join the voice of fame,
And in triumphant sounds proclaim
Columbia's glory, Britain's shame,
Boast Heaven's peculiar care,
That broke th' infernal snare,
And give a rescu'd infant nation joy.