[From Poems; by Rev Robert Brown, 1826]

ALBION.

HAIL, peerless island! empress of the wave!
Land of the free, and refuge of the slave !
Home of the stranger, Pharos of the world!
Shedding, where'er thy flag has been unfurled,
The light which gilds affliction's deepest gloom,
And guides to endless bliss beyond the tomb.
Though other realms that heavenly gift supply,
The light diffused by them no more may vie
With what, illustrious island, flows from thee,
Than the small river with the mighty sea,
Or the pale moonlight, or the star's dim ray,
With the bright beam which from the orb of day
Rushes athwart the world, and scares the night away.

Long as thy rocky girdle shall sustain
The bounding billow of the ambient main,
May He who reigns on high thy people bless
With peace, with freedom, and with righteousness.
And oh! do Thou be still the heathen's friend,
The Bible scatter, and the mission send,
Till every isle that towers o'er ocean's breast
Has heard the Saviour's name, his name has blessed;
Till all the kingdoms of the world shall own
That Jesus sits on heaven's eternal throne,
That He is Lord of all, that he is God alone.

Any comments, errors or omissions gratefully received The Editor HTML Transcription © F.Coakley , 2008