7
Britannia wide-flung
Over the globe; its half
Her children, whether graff
Or scion mother-sprung;
Sons, now to be her staff
When her path glooms; though Rhine,
Danube and Elbe combine
Of these (O idlest dream!),
To reave her. Hers they are,
Rous'd, ardent in her right!
From Ganges utmost stream
Far as Canadian firs
And bush Australian, hers.
Joined even in hell's despite
To help Britannia.
8
Britannia the heart
And brain that bulwarks power;
See, at the crucial hour
How well she bears her part!
From fields how peaceful flower
In millions arms and men!
Which now she pours again
To those old battlefields,
France, Flanders; makes her star
Of glory that she shields
The weak, confronts the strong.
Brute force let others sing;
She shows in everything
To her it shall belong
To be—Britannia.
