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[A hymn for the celebration of Italian unity, in] The unity of Italy

The American Celebration of the unity of Italy, at the Academy of Music, New York, Jan. 12, 1871

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A HYMN FOR THE CELEBRATION OF ITALIAN UNITY.

Let them sound a victor strophe from the mountains to the sea!
Sweep away the old defences! let the tide of life run free
As the thought of God commissioned, that outleaps captivity.
Let Italy be one!
Chorus: Glory, hallelujah!
There's a mother, sad and lonely, who for ages gave no sound,
Save in moaning for her children, from her bosom sold and bound:
They have gathered now about her; with their beauty she is crowned,
And Italy is one!
Not of war this boon was given; not achieved in wrath and blood;
Not the soldier's gauntlet flings it; nor the battle's fiery flood:
In the garden of Christ's passion did it slowly bloom and bud,
The love that makes men one.
Sound the trump of resurrection! let the noble dead arise!
Let the hour long wept and wished for make God present to their eyes!
Let one joy illume the heavens and the earthly paradise,
Since Italy is one!
Mother, mourning long thy dear ones, let the Present's rapturous strain
Lift its prayer for all who suffer, pour its balm on every pain;
Till the motherhood immortal hold God's children in its reign,
And all mankind are one!