| |
| WHEN 1 Freedom from her mountain height, | |
| Unfurl’d her standard to the air, | |
| She tore the azure robe of night, | |
| And set the stars of glory there! | |
| She mingled with its gorgeous dyes | 5 |
| The milky baldric of the skies, | |
| And striped its pure, celestial white | |
| With streakings of the morning light; | |
| Then from his mansion in the sun, | |
| She call’d her eagle bearer down, | 10 |
| And gave into his mighty hand | |
| The symbol of her chosen land. | |
| |
| Majestic monarch of the cloud! | |
| Who rear’st aloft thy regal form, | |
| To hear the tempest trumping loud, | 15 |
| And see the lightning-lances driven, | |
| When stride the warriors of the storm, | |
| And rolls the thunder-drum of heaven! | |
| Child of the sun! to thee ’t is given | |
| To guard the banner of the free, | 20 |
| To hover in the sulphur smoke, | |
| To ward away the battle-stroke, | |
| And bid its blendings shine afar, | |
| Like rainbows on the cloud of war, | |
| The harbingers of victory. | 25 |
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| Flag of the brave! Thy folds shall fly, | |
| The sign of hope and triumph high! | |
| When speaks the signal trumpet tone, | |
| And the long line comes gleaming on, | |
| (Ere yet the life-blood, warm and wet, | 30 |
| Has dimm’d the glistening bayonet,) | |
| Each soldier’s eye shall brightly turn, | |
| To where thy meteor glories burn, | |
| And, as his springing steps advance, | |
| Catch war and vengeance from the glance! | 35 |
| And when the cannon-mouthings loud, | |
| Heave in wild wreaths the battle-shroud, | |
| And gory sabres rise and fall, | |
| Like shoots of flame on midnight pall,— | |
| There shall thy victor glances glow, | 40 |
| And cowering foes shall sink beneath | |
| Each gallant arm that strikes below | |
| That lovely messenger of death! | |
| |
| Flag of the seas! on ocean’s wave, | |
| Thy stars shall glitter o’er the brave, | 45 |
| When death, careering on the gale, | |
| Sleeps darkly round the bellied sail, | |
| And frighted waves rush wildly back | |
| Before the broadside’s reeling rack,— | |
| The dying wanderer of the sea | 50 |
| Shall look, at once, to heaven and thee, | |
| And smile to see thy splendors fly, | |
| In triumph o’er his closing eye. | |
| |
| Flag of the free heart’s only home! | |
| By angel hands to valor given,— | 55 |
| Thy stars have lit the welkin dome, | |
| And all thy hues were born in heaven! | |
| For ever float that standard sheet! | |
| Where breathes the foe that stands before us | |
| With Freedom’s soil beneath our feet, | 60 |
| And Freedom’s banner streaming o’er us! | |
