This Canada of ours and other poems/The Thistle of Scotland
THE THISTLE OF SCOTLAND.
(Written for the Caledonian Society of Toronto.)
Give France her flaunting fleur-de-lis,
England her damask rose;
Let Ireland love the triple leaf
That on her greensward blows.
The land that nurtured Robert Bruce,
Where Wallace won his name,
Must find a sterner emblem flower
To symbol Scotland's fame.
Go, search her rugged mountain sides,
Her banks and braes so fair,
On sunny slope, on lonely moor,
Her emblem Flower is there!
See! where it rears its haughty head—
True Scot that ne'er will yield—
The Thistle! with its ruby crown,
Stands monarch of the field.
It spreads those warlike arms about,
To guard the land from spoil;
What foeman's foot e'er rested long
On Caledonia's soil!
The banners of the Northern race
Oft waved above its spears,
When Border shout and pibroch note
Bang in the Southron ears.
O! Sons of Scotland! love it well,
Your sires its virtues knew;
Be like your Thistle to the end,
As staunch, as leal and true!