Ave Imperatrix!
FROM every quarter of your land
They give God thanks who turned away
Death and the needy madman’s hand,
Death-fraught, which menaced you that day.
One school of many made to make
Men who shall hold it dearest right
To battle for their ruler’s sake,
And stake their being in the fight,
Sends greeting humble and sincere—-
Though verse be rude and poor and mean—-
To you, the greatest as most dear—-
Victoria, by God’s grace Our Queen!
Such greeting as should come from those
Whose fathers faced the Sepoy hordes,
Or served you in the Russian snows,
And, dying, left their sons their swords.
And some of us have fought for you
Already in the Afghan pass—-
Or where the scarce-seen smoke-puffs flew
From Boer marksmen in the grass;
And all are bred to do your will
By land and sea-—wherever flies
The Flag, to fight and follow still,
And work your Empire’s destinies.
Once more we greet you, though unseen
Our greeting be, and coming slow.
Trust us, if need arise, O Queen,
We shall not tarry with the blow!
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1936, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 87 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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