POETRY. 989 



The panic-struck ocean in agony roars, 

 Rebounds from the battle, and tiies to his shores. 



For Britannia is wielding her trident to-day, 



Consuming her foes in her ire, 



And hurling her thuuder with absolute sway 



From her wave-ruling chariots of fire ; 



— She triumphs ; — the winds and the waters conspire 



To spread her invincible name ; 



The universe rings with her fame ; 



— But the cries of the fatherless mix with her praise, 



And the tears of the *» idow are shed on her bays ! 



O Britain ! dear Britain ! the land of my birth ; 



O isle, most enchantiiigly fair! 



Thou pearl of the ocean i Thou gem of the earth ! 



O my mother ! my mother ! beware ; 



For wealth is a phantom, and empire a snare : 



Olet not thy birth-right be sold 



For reprobate glory and gold : 



Thy distant ilominions like wild graftings shoot. 



They weigh down thy trunk, — they will tear up thy root : — 



The root of thine oak, O my country ! that stands 



Rock-planted, and riourishing free; 



Its branches are stretch'd over far-distant lands, 



And its shadow eclipses the sea : 



The blood of our ancestors nourish'd the tree ; 



From their tombs, from their ashes it sprung; 



Its boughs with their trophies are hung; 



Their spirit dwells in it : — and hark ! for it spoke ; 



The voice of our fathers ascends from their oak. 



" Ye Britons who dwell where we conquer'd of old, 



Who inherit our battle-field graves ; 



Though poor were your fathers, — gigantic and bold, 



We were not, we would not be, slaves : 



But firm as our rocks, and as free as our waves, 



The spears of the Romans we broke. 



We never stoop'd under their yoke ; 



In the shipwreck of nations we stood up alone, — 



The world was great Csesar's — but Britain our own. 



*' For ages and ages, with barbarous foes, 

 The Saxon, Norwegian, and Gaul, 

 We wrestled, were foii'd, were cast down, but we rose 

 With r\pw vigour, new life from each fall ; 

 By all tee were conquered: — We conquer'd them all! 



—The 



