Poems (Proctor)/Illinois

by Edna Dean Proctor

ILLINOIS.

Domain of homes and herds and fields,Where lavish nature richest yieldsThrough summer's heat and autumn's shine Her harvests' bounteous wealth and joy;No star upon our banner set,No gem of Freedom's coronet,Burns with a prouder ray than thine— Majestic Illinois!

To north rolls Michigan's blue deep;Ohio, Mississippi, sweepThy prairies by; and, shrined between, Our Lincoln slumbers, past annoy.What grandeur should thy people own!—Each man a king, each home a throne,Each woman love's and honor's queen,— Majestic Illinois!