_Here at thy broad sea gate, On the ultimate ocean wave, Where millions in hope have entered in, Joyous, elate, A home and a hearth to win; For the promise you held and the bounty you gave, Thou, and none other, I call to thee, spirit; I call to thee, Mother, America!_ _Spirit of world of the West Throned on thy lifted sierras, Rivers the path for thy feet, Forests of green for thy raiment, Wide-falling cascades the film of thy veil, Moon-glow and star-flash thy jewels, Sunrise the gold of thy hair, Sweet was thy lure and compelling._ _Europe, pale, jaded, had palled us, Asia, o’ergilded, repelled us, Africa, desert faced, haunted us, Thou, when in freshness of morning, hadst called us, And wanted us, Held us._ _Over the ocean we came then, Wondering, hoping, adoring, Called thee our mother, kissing thy feet, Kindling our love into flame, then Old worlds and old loves ignoring, Making new bondage sweet. Bless us today, O Mother._ Hark, how the bells are chiming, How wind the horns, how cymbals clash, And a chorus, in might volume timing, To tramping beat that never lags! Heavily booming the cannons flash, And the air is thrilled with the snapping flags! Where passed the grim Briton with venturing prow In the cycles fled, The city that stands like a fortress now, Turreted high by the edge of the water, America’s eldest, magnificent daughter, With garlands is twining her brow, For joy that her laughing heart remembers Three hundred red and gold Septembers. To catch the glint of her proudest glance, To hear the heartening music of her drum, To see her banners flutter and advance, Glad in the sunrise, let us come, Not as came Hudson thro’ mists of the sea— Dipping and rolling his Dutch-built ship— Scanning the land fall with hungering eyes And close-clenched lip, By morning and noon, Creeping past headland and sand-billowed dune, Wing-weary ghost of a phantom quest, Steering athrill but where waters led west.