Poems of Optimism/To the women of Australia

by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

A toast to the splendid daughters
Of the New World over the waters,
   A world that is great as new;
Daughters of brave old races,
Daughters of heights and spaces,
Broad seas and broad earth places -
   Hail to your land and you!

The sun and the winds have fed you;
The width of your world has led you
   Out into the larger view;
Strong with a strength that is tender,
Bright with a primal splendour,
Homage and praise we render -
   Hail to your land and you!

Sisters and daughters and mothers,
Standing abreast with your brothers,
   Working for things that are true;
Thinking and doing and daring,
Giving, receiving, and sharing,
Earning the crowns you are wearing -
   Hail to your land and you!