Thou beautiful and glorious!—on thy brow
Beams the resplendence of thy noble birth.
Thy beauty and thy glory bring thee now
Tribute from all the diadems of earth.
Dark was the night when Freedom bade thee live,
And Hope upheld thee, shedding radiant tears
And praying for thee, O superlative
Among the revelations of the years!

They called thee liberty. There was a hush
Among the kingdoms when that name was heard—
That name which, rising with a luminous flush,
Gleamed rocket-like—a splendid, brightening word—
Rifting the night with white and crimson bars,
And, poising heavenward, blossomed into stars.