THREE AGES IN BOHEMIA.
PART FIRST.
There was a time when the Bohemian land
Was known and honored, throughout the wide world’s length,
For mighty warriors and heroic men
Her name was honored, bravery was her strength.
There was an age when every one was proud
To call himself a son of that fair land,
Where every art was known and learning prized;
And praise was given to the skillful hand.
There was an age when the Bohemian tongue
Was spoken from the throne in accents clear;
Divinest harmony, their native speech,
In palace homes was spoken far and near.
That time, Bohemian men were proud to say
They were Bohemians, sons of that brave land,
Where the dread lion was their coat-of-arms,
And wealth and plenty smiled upon the land.
PART SECOND.
Then the times changed, misfortune came apace,
And they forgot that which they once had been.
Indifference, lethargy, upon them crept,
They thought no more, they lived as in a dream.
Bohemian hearts grew cold, their native land
They loved no more, forgotten was their pride—
Forgotten were the deeds their fathers did—
They were not worthy to sleep by their side.
