When first our Southern flag arose,
Beside the heaving sea,
It bore upon its silken folds
A green Palmetto tree.
All honor to that banner brave,
It roused the blood of yore,
And nerved the arm of Southern men
For valiant deeds once more.
When storm clouds darkened o'er our sky,
That star, the first of seven,
Shone out amid the mist and gloom,
To light our country's heaven.
The glorious seven! long may their flag
Wave proudly on the breeze;
Long may they burn on fame's broad sky--
The Southern Pleiades!
_Nashville Patriot._