Anti Lyrics No. II – from “Some Nova Scotian Poets of Confederation”

But one short year, and oh the change
Which darkly shades our country’s brow!
Once free as mountain eagles range
How low the droop in sadness now!

When dawned the morn of ’67,
Fair and most prosperous was her state,
No happier country under heaven,
Look at her now in ’68!

The bright-eyed goddess weeps to see
Her children humbled in the dust
Marveling that such things could be
Such evils wrought by hands accurs’d.

That such a country, such a race
Could fall so far and sink so low?
And yet live under the disgrace
Without one liberating blow.

Deep burns the wound in every breast
Which freedom warms amongst us all;
And ne’er can we know peace or rest
‘Til we retrieve our grievous fall.

But whilst we live and hand to hand
And foot to foot can wage the strife,
We’ll battle for our native land
And yield the struggle but with life.

No tyrants o’er this land may reign,
Or drag its standard in the dust.
We’ll conquer and our rights maintain
Because our cause is good and just.

Anon. (Fred. ?) Morning Chronicle, January 3, 1868.

Muise, D.A. “Some Nova Scotian Poets of Confederation” Dalhousie Review, Volume 50, Number 1, 1970 https://dalspace.library.dal.ca/bitstream/handle/10222/59368/dalrev_vol50_iss1_pp71_82.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y