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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