II "The pure flag is but pure folly," You "wise" men maintain for true. But the flag is the truth poetic, The folly is found in you. In poetry upward soaring, The nation's immortal soul With hands invisible carries The flag toward the future goal. That soul's every toil and trial, That soul's every triumph sublime, Are sounding in songs immortal,-- To their music the flag beats time. We bear it along surrounded By mem'ry's melodious choir, By mild and whispering voices, By will and stormy desire. It gives not to others guidance, Can not a Swedish word say; It never can flaunt allurement:-- Clear the foreign colors away! III The sins and deceits of our nation Possess in the flag no right; The flag is the high ideal In honor's immortal light. The best of our past achievements, The best of our present prayers, It takes in its folds from the fathers And bears to the sons and heirs; Bears it all pure and artless, By tokens that tempt us unmarred, Is for our will's young manhood Leader as well as guard. IV They say: "As by rings of betrothal We are by the flag affied!" But Norway is _not_ betrothèd, She _is_ no one's promised bride. She shares her abode with no one, Her bed and her board to none yields, Her will is her worthy bridegroom, Herself rules her sea, her fields. Our brother to eastward honors This independence of youth. _He_ knows well that by it only Our wreath can be won in truth. When we from the flag are taking His colors, _he_ knows 't is no whim, But merely because we are holding Our honor higher than him. And none who himself has honor Will seek him a different friend; Our life we can for him offer, But naught of our flag can lend. V TO SWEDEN Respectful I seek a hearing, With trust in your temper sane, And plead now our cause before you In words that are calm and plain: