THE BRAVE old land of deed and song, <br />Of gentle hearts and spirits strong, <br />Of queenly maids and heroes grand, <br />Of equal laws,—our Fatherland! <br /> <br />Though born beneath a brighter sun, <br />Shall we forget the marvels done, <br />By soul outspoken, blood outpoured, <br />By bard and patriot, song and sword? <br /> <br />Forget how firm and true our sires, <br />Still lighted by their battle-fires, <br />’Gainst kingly power and kingly crime, <br />Long struggled in the darkened time? <br /> <br />How in a rolling sea they stood, <br />Where every wave was freemen’s blood,— <br />Shall we forget the time of strife, <br />When freedom’s only price was life? <br /> <br />Shall Cromwell’s memory, Milton’s lyre, <br />Not kindle ’mong us souls of fire, <br />Not raise in us a spirit strong— <br />High scorn of shams, quick hate of wrong? <br />Shall we not learn, Australians born! <br />To smile on tinselled power our scorn,— <br />At least, a freeman’s pride to try, <br />When tinselled power would bend or buy? <br /> <br />The brave old land of deed and song, <br />We ne’er will do her memories wrong! <br />For freedom here we’ll firmly stand, <br />As stood our sires for Fatherland! <br /> <br /><br /><br />Sir Henry Parkes<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/fatherland/
