SONG FOR JULY 12TH, 1843.
Come—pledge again thy heart and hand—
One grasp that ne'er shall sever;
Our watchword be—"Our native land"—
Our motto—"Love for ever."
And let the Orange lily be
Thy badge, my patriot brother—
The everlasting Green for me;
And—we for one another.
Behold how green the gallant stem,
On which the flower is blowing;
How in one heav'nly breeze and beam
Both flower and stem are glowing.
The same good soil sustaining both,
Makes both united flourish:
But cannot give the Orange growth,
And cease the Green to nourish.
Yea, more—the hand that plucks the flower
Will vainly strive to cherish:
The stem blooms on—but in that hour
The flower begins to perish.
Regard them, then, of equal worth
While lasts their genial weather;
The time's at hand when into earth
The two shall sink together.
Ev'n thus be, in our country's cause,
Our party feelings blended;
Till lasting peace, from equal laws,
On both shall have descended.
Till then the Orange lily be
Thy badge, my patriot brother—
The everlasting Green for me;
And—we for one another.