Thomas Paine: Verses about Freedom

Hail great Republic of the world,
Which rear'd her empire in the West,
Where fam'd Columbus' flag unfurl'd,
Gave tortured Europe scenes of rest;
Be thou forever great and free,
The land of Love, and Liberty!

Beneath thy spreading, mantling vine,
Beside each flowery grove and spring,
And where thy lofty mountains shine,
May all thy sons and fair ones sing.
Be thou forever, etc.

From thee may hellish discord prowl,
With all her dark and hateful train;
And while thy mighty waters roll,
May heaven-descended concord reign.
Be thou forever, etc.

Where'er the Atlantic surges lave,
Or sea the human eye delights,
There may thy starry standard wave,
The constellation of thy rights!
Be thou forever, etc.

May ages as they rise proclaim
The glories of thy natal day;
And states from thy exalted name
Learn how to rule, and to obey.
Be thou forever, etc.

Let laureates make their birthdays known,
Or how war's thunderbolts are hurl'd;
'Tis ours the charter, ours alone,
To sing the birthday of a world
Be thou forever great and free,

The land of Love and Liberty!

In a chariot of light from the regions of day,
The Goddess of Liberty came;
Ten thousand celestials directed the way
And hither conducted the dame.
A fair budding branch from the gardens above,
Where millions with millions agree,
She brought in her hand as a pledge of her love,
And the plant she named Liberty Tree.
The celestial exotic struck deep in the ground,
Like a native it flourished and bore;
The fame of its fruit drew the nations around,
To seek out this peaceable shore.
Unmindful of names or distinction they came,
For freemen like brothers agree;
With one spirit endued, they one friendship pursued,
And their temple was Liberty Tree.
Beneath this fair tree, like the patriarchs of old,
Their bread in contentment they ate,
Unvexed with the troubles of silver and gold,
The cares of the grand and the great.
With timber and tar they Old England supplied,
And supported her power on the sea;
Her battles they fought, without getting a groat,
For the honor of Liberty Tree.
But hear, O ye swains, 'tis a tale most profane,
How all the tyrannical powers,
Kings, Commons, and Lords, are uniting amain
To cut down this guardian of ours;
From the east to the west blow the trumpet to arms
Through the land let the sound of it flee,
Let the far and the near, all unite with a cheer,
In defence of our Liberty Tree.

Tune-Anacreon in Heaven
To Columbia who, gladly reclined at her ease
On Atlantic's broad bosom, lay smiling in peace,
Minerva flew hastily sent from above,
And addrest her this message from thundering Jove:
'Rouse, quickly awake!
Your Freedom's at stake,
Storms arise, your renown'd independence to shake,
Then lose not a moment, my aid I will lend,
If your sons will assemble your rights to defend.'

Roused Columbia rose up, and indignant declared,
That no nation she'd wrong'd and no nation she fear'd,
That she wished not for war, but if war were her fate,
She would rally up souls independent and great:
Then tell mighty Jove,
That we quickly will prove,
We deserve the protection he'll send from above;
For ne'er shall the sons of America bend,
But united their rights and their freedom defend.

Minerva smiled cheerfully as she withdrew,
Enraptured to find her Americans true,
'For,' said she 'our sly Mercury ofttimes reports,
That your sons are divided' - Columbia retorts,
'Tell that vile god of thieves,
His report but deceives,
And we care not what madman such nonsense believes,
For ne'er shall the sons of America bend,
But united their rights and their freedom defend.'

Jove rejoiced in Columbia such union to see,
And swore by old Styx she deserved to be free
Then assembled the Gods, who all gave consent,
Their assistance if needful her ill to prevent;
Mars arose, shook his armor,
And swore his old Farmer
Should ne'er in his country see aught that could harm her,
For ne'er should the sons of America bend,
But united their rights and their freedom; defend.

Minerva resolved that her regis she'd lend,
And Apollo declared he their cause would defend,
Old Vulcan an armor would forge for their aid,
More firm than the one for Achilles he made.
Jove vow'd he'd prepare, A compound most rare,
Of courage and union, a bountiful share;
And swore ne'er shall the sons of America bend,
But their rights and their freedom most firmly defend.

Ye sons of Columbia, then join hand in hand,
Divided we fall, but united we stand;
'Tis ours to determine, 'tis ours to decree,
That in peace we will live independent and free;

And should from afar
Break the horrors of war,
We'll always be ready at once to declare,
That ne'er will the sons of America bend,
But united their rights and their freedom defend.

Ye sons of Columbia who bravely have fought,
For those rights which unstain'd from your sires have descended.
May you long taste the blessings your valor has bought,
And your sons reap the soil which their fathers defended;
'Mid the reign of mild peace,
May your nation increase,
With the glory of Rome, and the wisdom of Greece;
And ne'er may the sons of Columbia be slaves,
While the earth bears a plant or the sea rolls its waves.

In a clime whose rich vales feed the marts of the world,
Whose shores are unshaken by Europe's commotion,
The trident of commerce should Bever be hurl'd,
To increase the legitimate power of the ocean;
But should pirates invade,
Though in thunder array'd,
Let your cannon declare the free charter of trade,
For ne'er shall the sons, etc.

The fame of our arms, of our laws the mild sway,
Had justly ennobled our Nation in story,
Till the dark clouds of faction obscured our bright day
And envelop'd the sun of American glory;
But let traitors be told,
Who their country have sold,
And barter'd their God for his image in gold,
That ne'er shall the sons, etc.
While France her huge limbs bathes recumbent in blood,
And society's base threats with wide dissolution,
May Peace, like the dove who return'd from the flood,
Find an ark of abode in our mild Constitution;
But tho' peace is our aim,
Yet the boon we disclaim,
If bought by our sovereignty, justice, or fame.
For ne'er shall the sons, etc.
'Tis the fire of the flint each American warms,
Let Rome's haughty victors beware of collision!
Let them bring all the vassals of Europe in arms,
We're a World by ourselves, and disdain a division;
While with patriot pride,
To our laws we're allied,
No foe can subdue us, no faction divide;
For ne'er shall the sons, etc.
Our mountains are crown'd with imperial oak,
Whose roots like our liberty ages have nourish'd,
But long e'er the nation submits to the yoke,
Not a tree shall be left on the soil where it flourished.
Should invasion impend,
Every grove would descend,
From the hill tops they shaded, our shores to defend.
For ne'er shall the sons, etc.

Let our patriots destroy vile anarchy's worm,
Lest our liberty's growth should be check'd by corrosion,
Then let clouds thicken round us, we heed not the storm,
Our earth fears no shock but the earth's own explosion;
Foes assail us in vain,
Tho' their fleets bridge the main,
For our altars, and claims, with our lives we'll maintain.
For ne'er shall the sons, etc.

Should the tempest of war overshadow our land,
Its bolts can ne'er rend Freedom's temple asunder;

For unmoved at its portals would Washington stand
And repulse with his breast the assaults of the thunder.
His sword from its sleep,
In its scabbard would leap,
And conduct with its point every flash to the deep.
For ne'er shall the sons, etc.

Let Fame to the world sound America's voice,
No intrigue her sons from their government can sever;
Its wise regulations and laws are their choice,
And shall flourish till Liberty slumber forever.
Then unite heart and hand,
Like Leonidas' band;
And swear by the God of the ocean and land,
That ne'er shall the sons of Columbia be slaves,
While the earth bears a plant, or the sea rolls its waves.