Dear Harp Of My Country! Lyrics

Dear harp of my country! In darkness I found thee,
The cold chain of silence had hung oer thee long;
When proudly, my own island harp! I unbound thee,
And gave all thy chords to light, freedom, and song!

The warm lay of love and the light tone of gladness
Have wakend thy fondest, thy liveliest thrill;
But so oft has thou echod the deep sigh of sadness,
That een in thy mirth it will steal from thee still.

Dear harp of my country! Farewell to thy numbers.
This sweet wreath of song is the last we shall twine;
Go, sleep with the sunshine of fame on thy slumbers,
Till touchd by some hand less unworthy than mine.

If the pulse of the patriot, soldier, or lover,
Have throbbd at our lay, tis thy glory alone;
I was but as the wind, passing heedlessly over,
And all the wild sweetness I waked was thy own!