Wave On, Thou Flag by James Ephraim McGirt

Wave on, wave on the air,
Oh flag that we have bought!
The Stars and Stripes for unity,
They tell for what we fought.

Oh fade thou not by rain;
May whirlwinds passing by,
Not dash to threads thy noble form,
But leave thee in the sky.

Stand firmly, thou mast pole,
On which the flag doth wave;
So many who thy color bore
Are lying in the grave.

Oh fare thee well, wave on,
Perform thy duty well;
Wave gently o’er the burial place
Of those who fought and fell.

From: McGirt, James E., Avenging the Maine, a Drunken A.B., and Other Poems, 1997, University of Michigan Humanities Text Initiative: Ann Arbor, Michigan, p. 32.
(http://name.umdl.umich.edu/BAD9521.0001.001)

Date: 1901

By: James Ephraim McGirt (1874-1930)

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Tags: 1901, james ephraim mcgirt, poetry, wave on thou flag, wave on wave on the air