I heard my country calling, away across the
sea,
Across the waste of waters, she calls and
calls to me.
Her sword is girded at her side, her helmet
on her head,
And around her feet are lying the dying and
the dead;
I hear the noise of battle, the thunder of
her guns;
I haste to thee, my mother, a son among thy
sons.
I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things
above,
Entire and whole and perfect, the service of
my love;
The love that asks no question, the love that
stands the test,
That lays upon the altar the dearest and the
best;
The love that never falters, the love that
pays the price,
The love that makes undaunted the final
sacrifice.
And there's another country, I've heard of
long ago,
Most dear to them that love her, most great
to them that know;
We may not count her armies, we may not see
her King;
Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride
is suffering;
And soul by soul and silently her shining
bounds increase,
And Her ways are ways of gentleness, and all
Her paths are peace.
Original poem by Sir Cecil Spring Rice. The final two stanzas being set to music by Gustav Holst (Thaxted/Jupiter from the Planet Suite).
The final line of the second verse is from
Proverbs 3:17 (KJV), “Her ways are ways of pleasantness and all Her paths are
peace,” in the context of which the feminine pronoun will refer to Wisdom.
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