On the approaching close of The Great Exhibition And other poems. By The Lady Emmeline Stuart Wortley |
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LINES WRITTEN AT BOSTON, UNITED STATES, 1849, ON THE FOURTH OF JULY,
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 | On the approaching close of The Great Exhibition |  |
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LINES WRITTEN AT BOSTON, UNITED STATES, 1849, ON THE FOURTH OF JULY,
(THE ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE,)
1
Hail! all hail! to the star-spangled banner of pride,Deathless Flag of the great and the brave!
While with England's own right-royal standard allied,
In fair concord and peace it shall wave!
2
Boast your proud Independence,—your sun-blazing birth,—All your Glory and Liberty boast;
Tell it out to the ends of the wide-listening Earth,
And that Land which still loves ye the most!
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3
For no jealousy more can disturb or destroy,England's pride in her world-renowned son!—
All her millions of hearts would fain bound to your joy,
All her millions of hands grasp your own.
4
Tell it out then to all the wide Lands of the World,Tell it most to that Land o'er the Seas,
Which shall best hail the flag that in freedom unfurled,
With her own rules the Billow and Breeze!
5
Mighty England seems leaning in love o'er the sea(As winged Bark after Bark seeks your strand);
Giant Heir of her Greatness!—she honours in thee,
Her own image of Strength and Command.
6
Yea! best mirrored in thee, she, exultant, beholds,All the pomps of her own Earthquake-march;
And her Flag, and the star-spangled Banner's free folds,
Light together Eternity's arch!
7
And together commingling, your names as One Name,Shall be reverenced alike and renowned;
And for Ye shall the cloud-riding eagles of Fame,
Loud and long bid Her echoes resound.
8
Perish every vile thought of dissension and doubt,—Perish, perish, each foe that would light
Even one spark of foul discord,—or blend with the shout
Of your gladness, one breath that would blight.
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9
Boast—aye! boast of your freedom, your glory, your power,—All the triumphs that gild your career;
Till the dread tempest-breathings that hail this proud hour,
Seem re-echoing from sphere e'en to sphere!
10
But boast not—Oh! boast not still too much that ye gained,O'er the sons of your fathers, the day;
'Twas those old Lion-fathers that taught ye, and trained,
In red Victory's immortalized way!
11
Bless the hour!—Be it blessed as the last one of wrath,As the first of fair Fellowship's peace!—
And press on!—Ye two mightiest of Lands!—in the path
Of those triumphs that never shall cease!
12
Noblest Triumphs of Knowledge, of Thought, Skill, and Art,That when shared, grow more precious and proud;
That make richer the Mind,—that make nobler the heart,—
Round those Nations, still clustering, they crowd.
13
Science, Commerce, and Art!—Their proud triumphs, in sooth,Shine all Earthlier atchievements above;
There the Victories of each, seem as Victories of both,
And Defeat claims more homage and love.
14
Yea, the Vanquished look up to their Vanquishers then,With glad reverence, with loftier esteem,
Glory! No human hecatombs claim thou again,
Near those Conquests of Mind, thou 'rt a Dream!
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15
Press still on,—Ye two mightiest of Lands!—in the pathOf those triumphs that never shall fade
While forgetting vain dreams of distraction and wrath,
Each the other shall urge, and shall aid.
16
In the dizzying magnificence even of your flight,While together ye sweep toward the Sun,
In the far-soaring grandeur and pride of your height,
Still the awed Nations shall see ye as—One!
17
Like those stars that so high overhead shine in power,They seem mingled and merged to the sight,—
Lo! Columbia and Albion, the rest shall o'ertower,
Till they stream in one blaze to unite!
18
Hence!—Away with all whisperings of envy or hate,With all ranklings of injury or wrong;
Glorious Nations!—apart,—how transcendently great!—
But combined—how invincibly strong!
19
Now, even now, great America!—speeds to thy strand,One who seems like a guest from above;
In his high hallowed fame he has sought thy brave Land,
To be met by a whole host—of Love!
20
Mild Ambassador!—Conquerors and Chieftains, avaunt!From the Prince of all Peace 'tis he comes;
Th' everlasting green olives to waft and to plant,
'Twixt two Worlds, in your hearts, hearths, and homes.
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21
And even now a fair vessel from England speeds fast,To bring greetings fraternal from far;
Blessings, prayers, and kind wishes, have flown with the blast,
'Stead of thunderings and threatenings of War.
22
Even this hour a proud vessel to England departs,To bear on, o'er the blue tossing brine,
The flushed hopes and the feelings of thousands of hearts,
Which in deep ties of friendship entwine.
23
And even now, to the tones of a woman's meek voice,How your noblest of hearts have throbbed high!—
Lofty Land!—from this moment ye have bade us rejoice,
In a new, dearer, soul-binding tie.
24
Hail! thou generous America! Hail evermore!Thus,—thou'st vanquished us yet once again;
And thy high-minded sympathy thrills to the core,
Of a Land where 'twill deathlessly reign.
25
In Humanity's cause, what true zeal hath inspired,—Oh! how nobly thou'st answered th' appeal!
For our Heroes, what brave brother-feeling hath fired,
Praise—all praise to that truth and that zeal!
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26
If we fettered Thee once, oh! Thou hast fettered Us now,In the holiest and loveliest of bonds,—
Lo! a Voice from our homesteads—a Voice faint and low,
And this whole mighty Nation responds.
27
If we fettered Thee once,—more Thou hast now fettered Us,Through the loftiest and strongest of ties;—
Hark! a Voice from our homesteads, faint-whispering,—and thus,
This whole wonderful Nation replies!
28
Thus be still past Oppressors full nobly oppressed,But by blessings and benefits given!
Let Earth follow th' example,—brave World of the West!—
That thou fling'st to the four ends of Heaven.
29
Who can dream of past strifes?—who would dwell on a thought,That could mar such a Beautiful Peace?
Be each hour with pure joys of fraternity fraught,
In perpetual Heaven-honoured increase.
30
Peace!—Aye! England and Englishmen well know the worthOf the People who spurned back and scorned
Ties, dishonoured by trammels,—while ev'n had all Earth
Joined against them, all Earth should have mourned;—
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Should have mourned, should have bowed to the dust, and confessed,Nought could vanquish where Freedom inspired;
While the whole mighty Land seemed to throb with one breast,—
While that breast one Great Feeling had fired.
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32
Black Oblivion and Ruin seize each venomed dream,Of fell discord, division, and doubt;
Brothers!—Light with your gladness the sun's orient beam,
Shout your triumph;—Hark!—Hark!—how they shout!—
33
Peace?—my Land!—even to-day thou should'st reap no annoy,—Thou would'st join in each jubilant tone!—
All thy millions of hearts would fain bound to their joy,
All thy millions of hands grasp their own.
34
Hence!—begone! ye past strifes,—not a word, not a thought,Now should mar this most Beautiful Peace;—
The fair links have been forged, the proud work hath been wrought,—
This bright Calm should ne'er change, should ne'er cease.
35
Then all hail to the star-spangled Banner of pride,That famed Flag of the great and the brave!
For with England's own right-royal standard allied,
Still in concord and friendship 't will wave.
36
Well ye severed the links of a chain ye abhorred,—But—Great Heaven! what can ever unbind
The electrical chain and the heart-wreathing cord,
That unites through the Soul and the Mind?
37
Of two proud mighty Peoples' great love there is framedOne eternal, unchangeable yoke;
And magnanimous words have in thunder proclaimed,
It shall never be loosened or broke.
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38
On the necks of Earth's two mightiest nations 'tis laid,To teach Faith, Love, and Peace to that Earth,
Till the last dread eclipse shall her regions o'ershade,
Can it fail in its weight or its worth?
39
Then away with all memories of Bloodshed and Wars,Let them fade from this day,—from this hour!
On yon Flag I will mark but the Heaven-glancing stars,
Not the Earth-blazoned ensigns of power!
40
I would dwell not on themes of vain strifes and distrust,Seraph-tongues whisper themes far more fair,—
Seraph-hands point where Mathew, the sainted, the just,
Is made glorious America's care.
41
And that noblest response to a heart's solemn cry,E'er yet breathed by a Nation beneath,
(Gallant Franklin! methinks that immortal reply,
Must yet reach thee,—in life or in death!)
42
Let that grow to the soul, let that flash from the tongue,Of great England's true sons evermore;
Could one broad bridge of gold o'er old Ocean be flung,—
No! not thus should it link shore to shore!
43
Let that live in the heart, let that burn to the thought,Of true Britons eternally still;
And all shame on the soul that could fail to be taught,
With a kindred emotion to thrill.
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44
Hail! Americans—hail! Honour, glory, and praise,To the Lords of the New World be given!
Wave your star-spangled Flag,—for now fresh 'midst its rays,
More direct shines the true Fire from Heaven.
45
And forgive the faint voice that is faulteringly raisedIn the midst of your whirlwind-acclaim,
Thus to honour your far-flashing Standard emblazed
With all trophies of Glory and Fame.
46
Let that voice from the Land of your Forefathers greet,—May no dream glance toward Her as a foe;
Let this heart that adores her still venture to beat
With your own in proud Sympathy's glow.
47
Starry Queen of the Atlantic! for England and Thee,Smiles one bright guardian genius august;
Yours—one language, one aim,—Oh! ye First of the Free!
Yours one mission, one charter, one trust.
48
Yours one language, one lineage, one fortune, one fame,—Oh! ye First of the Famous and Free;
And how glorious your course, and how generous your aim,
A glad World, bless'd and brightened, shall see!
49
Freedom, Progress, Religion, and Knowledge, shall joinYour illustrious march through all Time,
Till Creation seems bade by Commandment Divine,
Round your joint steps to flush more sublime.
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50
Hail, again! Then, thou star-spangled Banner! float wide!—Float!—Thou Firmament-flag of the Free!
Leagued with England's magnificent Standard of pride,
Thou shalt queen it in pomp o'er the Sea.
51
And avaunt!—ye dark memories of Vengeance and Wars,Ye should droop,—ye should die,—from this hour;
On yon Flag we should mark but the Heaven-borrowed Stars,
Not the Earth-blazoned signs of your Power!
52
Wave! Thou Banner of Stars!—stream in splendour and light,—And full oft may Our Flag float with thee!
O'er the waves, o'er the lands, thou shalt queen it in might,—
Oh!—Thou Firmament-flag of the Free!
| On the approaching close of The Great Exhibition | |