 | Petition to the Deil |  |
16
THE OLD CHARTER.
August 29, 1914.
I
In ancient days the grace of HeavenTo our Britannia gave
The right for which her sons had striven,
To rule the ocean wave.
And this same charter we will keep
That came by Heaven's decree,
Alike when storms assail the deep
And pirates vex the sea.
II
Never shall British heart forgetThe pride of Nelson's name!
And there were ocean-warriors yet
Before his glory came;
And Drake and Blake like meteors burn;
But our particular star,
Still to whose blaze our spirits turn,
Shines over Tráfalgar!
17
III
There glows in every British breastThe fire their fathers knew,
And years to come shall still attest
The ancient kinship true.
Then let the Prussian tyrant rave,
Britannia's latest foe;
Her right remains to rule the wave,
And that Berlin shall know.
| Petition to the Deil | |