Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

OUR WASHINGTON, by                    
First Line: O son of virginia, thy mem'ry divine
Last Line: And the land that is hallowed by washington's grave.
Subject(s): Presidents, United States; Washington, George (1732-1799)


O SON of Virginia, thy mem'ry divine
Forever will halo this country of thine,
Not hero alone in the battle's wild strife,
But hero in ev'ry detail of thy life.
So noble, unselfish, heroic, and true,
A God given gift to thy country were you;
And lovingly, tenderly guarding thy shrine,
Columbia points proudly, and says: "He is mine."

Thy courage upheld us, the judgment sustained,
Thy spirit stood proof when discouragement reigned,
Thy justice unerring all bias withstood,
Thy thought never self, but thy loved country's good.
And thy country will never, till time is no more.
Cease to cherish the sleeper on yon river's shore;
And every fair daughter and ev'ry brave son
She will tell of the greatness of her Washington.

O hero immortal! O spirit divine!
What glory eternal, what homage is thine!
Forever increasing will be thy renown,
With the stars of Columbia that gleam in thy crown.
The God who guards liberty gave thee to earth,
Forever we'll honor thy heaven-sent birth.
E'en heaven itself has one gladness the more,
That our hands shall clasp thine on eternity's shore.

Then sleep, sweetly sleep, by the river's calm run;
Thy fame will live on in the land thou hast won;
To Potomac's soft music then slumber serene,
The spirit of freedom will keep the spot green;
And so long as time echoes the hour of thy birth,
We will pay loving tribute and praise to thy worth,
And pledge to keep spotless the freedom you gave,
And the land that is hallowed by Washington's grave.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net