The Lion's Cub
by Maurice Thompson� (1844-1901) |
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THE WHELP that nipped its mother's dug in turning from
her breast,
And smacked its lusty lips and built its own
lair in the West,
Has stretched its limbs and looked
about and roared across the sea:
"Oh, mother, I did bite
thee hard, but still thou lovest me!"
She lifts her
head and listens, as waking from a dream,
Her great jaw
set, her claws outspread, her lion eyes agleam;
The voice
is deep as thunder on the far horizon rim,
And up the
mother spoke and said: "It can be none but him!"
Cried England to America: "My ancient love abides,
And
the old Trafalgar courage still upon the ocean rides."
America to England spake: "The God of Liberty
Goes with
us marching up the land and sailing down the sea."
And the twain are joined for hunting,�let all the packs
beware,
The tiger's kith, the panther's kin, the
race-hordes of the bear.
They two step forth together,
God's hand has struck the hour,
All pathways lead to
freedom, each foot-step broadens power.
The world is
still in dull amaze, agape and dazed to hear;
There is a
rustling of the thrones, uneasy far and near,
King
leaning unto king, and on Oppression's hateful lips
A
pallor as the wind brings in the booming of the ships.
And who shall cower, who recoil, or choose the craven's
tack,
And strain the law (by heroes made) to hold his
country back?
Ah, who? Let children lisp his shame and
women cry him down
What time our glorious banner waves
o'er storm�d tower and town.
The star is up, the star
of splendor, never to set or wane;
The flag leads on, the
flag of glory, never to turn again;
And where it goes we
cheer and follow, no man of us will fail;
We all are
where our armies camp and where our navies sail.
World-conquering mother, hard we bit in parting from thy
breast;
Yet still we smack our lusty lips and love thy
milk the best;
For the blood our mother gave us is the
true imperial strain;
She bore one cub, one only, but it
wears the lion's mane! |
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By Maurice Thompson� (1844-1901)
Listed September 19, 2013
This 1800s poem wonderfully describes the
relationship of the USA and
England before and after July
4, 1776.
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