FOR FREEDOM!
245
The slave is the citizen, coveted name!
That lifts him from loathing, that shields him from shame;
His cottage unravished, and, gladsome as he,
His wife by the hearthstone, his babe on her knee.
That lifts him from loathing, that shields him from shame;
His cottage unravished, and, gladsome as he,
His wife by the hearthstone, his babe on her knee.
The cotton grows fair by the sea as of old;
The cane yields its sugar, the orange its gold;
Light rustle the corn-leaves, the rice-fields are green,
And, free as the white man, he smiles on the scene;—
The drum beats; we start from our slumbers and pray
That the dream of the night find an answering day.
The cane yields its sugar, the orange its gold;
Light rustle the corn-leaves, the rice-fields are green,
And, free as the white man, he smiles on the scene;—
The drum beats; we start from our slumbers and pray
That the dream of the night find an answering day.
To God be the glory! They call us; we come;
How welcome the watchword, the hurry, the bum;
Our hearts are on fire as our good swords we bare,
"For Freedom! for Freedom!" soft echoes the air;
The bugles ring cheerly; the banners float high;
O comrades, strike boldly! our triumph is nigh!
How welcome the watchword, the hurry, the bum;
Our hearts are on fire as our good swords we bare,
"For Freedom! for Freedom!" soft echoes the air;
The bugles ring cheerly; the banners float high;
O comrades, strike boldly! our triumph is nigh!
