Page:Poems Carmichael.djvu/39

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
CALIFORNIA.

Cheer for the queen of the western wave!—
        California!
Where the sunbeams walk on a golden pave,
And the moonlight hides in a silver cave—
        California!
Where the day that comes to this land of ours
Finds the brightest gems and the rarest flowers;
Where the lingering day, when it must depart,
Leaves the last red pulse of a broken heart—
        California!

Cheer for the Italy of the West!
        California!
With a wide, warm heart in a jeweled vest,
And a regal brow by a rose crown pressed—
        California!
From the burning gold of her shining sand
Is the scepter forged for the nation's hand,

31