| |
| THE ANCHOR weigh’d, the cannon’s roar | |
| Proclaims along the echoing shore | |
| The manly farewell of a crew, | |
| To honest independence true: | |
| The enraptured cheers declare their actions free, | 5 |
| Self-urged, self-arm’d, to fight for liberty. | |
| |
| No sighs disgrace the gather’d crowd; | |
| The shouts of joy are heard aloud: | |
| No wife her parting lord restrains, | |
| To check the smile her soul disdains; | 10 |
| “Haste, haste,” she cries, “to act the glorious part, | |
| Leave, leave my arms, and reign within my heart.” | |
| |
| Each sister, as she bids adieu, | |
| Crimsons with the glowing hue | |
| Of honest pride, and loud declares, | 15 |
| “The noble toil my brother shares.” | |
| E’en children catch the all-pervading glow, | |
| And prattle vengeance on the insulting foe. | |
| |
| The vessel now adown the tide | |
| Moves slow in independent pride; | 20 |
| While Delaware, with honest boast, | |
| Presents her to the insulted coast, | |
| There may her cannon to the world decree, | |
| Columbia can, and ever will be free. | |
| |
| And you, ye tars, who foremast stand, | 25 |
| Guardians of your injured land, | |
| May smiling cherubims on high | |
| Guard you with a watchful eye, | |
| From rocks and shoals your winged castle bear, | |
| Nor storms and tempests follow in your rear. | 30 |
| |
| We pray not from a mortal foe | |
| The Heavens to turn your chasing prow; | |
| Your courage proved, our quarrel just, | |
| In you we place implicit trust; | |
| Assured you’ll reap from every equal fight, | 35 |
| Success as glorious, as our cause is right. | |
| |
