Page:Ode on the stability of the British Empire, written on the occasion of the coronation of King Edward the Seventh.djvu/9

Their paths of triumph all were paved;
Their cities were the work of slaves.
Their thrones were built o'er yawning graves;
They rose, then vanished, like the waves
That on their borders raved.

But freedom is the corner-stone
On which the British Empire stands;
What though it oft doth stand alone?
It is not built on shifting sands.
But on the rock of freemen's choice;
The humblest in it hear the voice
Of Justice cheer them, and rejoice
Within its many lands.

Though scattered, all its lands are one,
The British flag floats over all;
And never be the bond undone
That binds them, lest they, sundered, fall;
The British Empire doth embrace
A fourth of all the human race;
Its nations, linked, can dangers face.
And none can them appall.

The throne alone doth make them one,
And British unity defend;
They know it must not be undone.
And to the Coronation send
Their noblest sons; in bright array.
Around the throne, united they
Are marshalled now, the Empire's slay,
On which it doth depend.

The men who love the Maple leaf,
And on Canadian plains abide,
Have left for Africa the sheaf
And herd, to check invasion's tide;
They love all measures lenitive.
Esteem the Boer, and fain would give
Him equal rights with all who live
In Britain's empire wide.

The men who love the Southern Cross,
The emblem of their sea-girt land;
And on their shields its stars emboss,