ALIGNED
Why do you leap in the wind so wild,O Star-Flag, O Sky-Flag?And why do you ripple as if you smiled,Flag of my heart’s delight?“I laugh because I am loosed at last,Free of the cords that bound me fastMute as a mummy, furled on the mast,Far from the beckoning fight!“I joy because I am aligned—The Star-Flag, the Sky-Flag—With these the noblest of my kind,Flags of the soul’s desire!And where the blended Crosses blaze,And where the Tricolor lifts and swaysTo the marching pulse of the Marseillaise,I may be tried in the fire!”Yea, not for gold and not for ease,My Star-Flag, my Sky-Flag,The Fathers launched you on the breeze,Flag of man’s best emprise!Yea, not for power and not for greed,But to fly forever, follow or lead,For the world’s hope and the world’s need,Flower of all seas and all skies!And better you were a riddled rag,My Star-Flag, my Sky-Flag,The faded ghost of a fighting-flag,Shredded, and scorched with flame,Than that you should now be satisfiedOver splendid cities and waters wideTo flutter and float in an idle pride,To flaunt in a silken shame!Then well may you leap in the wind so wild,O Star-Flag, O Sky-Flag!And well may you ripple as if you smiled,Flag of our hearts’ delight!We joy because you are alignedWith these the noblest of your kind:We are yours and theirs with a single mind—Let us on to the beckoning fight!
Why do you leap in the wind so wild,O Star-Flag, O Sky-Flag?And why do you ripple as if you smiled,Flag of my heart’s delight?“I laugh because I am loosed at last,Free of the cords that bound me fastMute as a mummy, furled on the mast,Far from the beckoning fight!“I joy because I am aligned—The Star-Flag, the Sky-Flag—With these the noblest of my kind,Flags of the soul’s desire!And where the blended Crosses blaze,And where the Tricolor lifts and swaysTo the marching pulse of the Marseillaise,I may be tried in the fire!”Yea, not for gold and not for ease,My Star-Flag, my Sky-Flag,The Fathers launched you on the breeze,Flag of man’s best emprise!Yea, not for power and not for greed,But to fly forever, follow or lead,For the world’s hope and the world’s need,Flower of all seas and all skies!And better you were a riddled rag,My Star-Flag, my Sky-Flag,The faded ghost of a fighting-flag,Shredded, and scorched with flame,Than that you should now be satisfiedOver splendid cities and waters wideTo flutter and float in an idle pride,To flaunt in a silken shame!Then well may you leap in the wind so wild,O Star-Flag, O Sky-Flag!And well may you ripple as if you smiled,Flag of our hearts’ delight!We joy because you are alignedWith these the noblest of your kind:We are yours and theirs with a single mind—Let us on to the beckoning fight!
Why do you leap in the wind so wild,O Star-Flag, O Sky-Flag?And why do you ripple as if you smiled,Flag of my heart’s delight?“I laugh because I am loosed at last,Free of the cords that bound me fastMute as a mummy, furled on the mast,Far from the beckoning fight!
Why do you leap in the wind so wild,
O Star-Flag, O Sky-Flag?
And why do you ripple as if you smiled,
Flag of my heart’s delight?
“I laugh because I am loosed at last,
Free of the cords that bound me fast
Mute as a mummy, furled on the mast,
Far from the beckoning fight!
“I joy because I am aligned—The Star-Flag, the Sky-Flag—With these the noblest of my kind,Flags of the soul’s desire!And where the blended Crosses blaze,And where the Tricolor lifts and swaysTo the marching pulse of the Marseillaise,I may be tried in the fire!”
“I joy because I am aligned—
The Star-Flag, the Sky-Flag—
With these the noblest of my kind,
Flags of the soul’s desire!
And where the blended Crosses blaze,
And where the Tricolor lifts and sways
To the marching pulse of the Marseillaise,
I may be tried in the fire!”
Yea, not for gold and not for ease,My Star-Flag, my Sky-Flag,The Fathers launched you on the breeze,Flag of man’s best emprise!Yea, not for power and not for greed,But to fly forever, follow or lead,For the world’s hope and the world’s need,Flower of all seas and all skies!
Yea, not for gold and not for ease,
My Star-Flag, my Sky-Flag,
The Fathers launched you on the breeze,
Flag of man’s best emprise!
Yea, not for power and not for greed,
But to fly forever, follow or lead,
For the world’s hope and the world’s need,
Flower of all seas and all skies!
And better you were a riddled rag,My Star-Flag, my Sky-Flag,The faded ghost of a fighting-flag,Shredded, and scorched with flame,Than that you should now be satisfiedOver splendid cities and waters wideTo flutter and float in an idle pride,To flaunt in a silken shame!
And better you were a riddled rag,
My Star-Flag, my Sky-Flag,
The faded ghost of a fighting-flag,
Shredded, and scorched with flame,
Than that you should now be satisfied
Over splendid cities and waters wide
To flutter and float in an idle pride,
To flaunt in a silken shame!
Then well may you leap in the wind so wild,O Star-Flag, O Sky-Flag!And well may you ripple as if you smiled,Flag of our hearts’ delight!We joy because you are alignedWith these the noblest of your kind:We are yours and theirs with a single mind—Let us on to the beckoning fight!
Then well may you leap in the wind so wild,
O Star-Flag, O Sky-Flag!
And well may you ripple as if you smiled,
Flag of our hearts’ delight!
We joy because you are aligned
With these the noblest of your kind:
We are yours and theirs with a single mind—
Let us on to the beckoning fight!