Where Roman eagle never flew
The flag of England flies,
The herald of great empires new
Beneath yet larger skies;
Upon a hundred lands and seas,
And over ransomed slaves
Who poured to her no idle pleas,
The pledge of Freedom waves;
Whatever man may well have done
We have with dauntless might,
And England holds what England won,
And God defends the right.
Where hardly climb the mountain goats,
On stormy cape and crag,
The refuge of the wanderer floats--
Our hospitable flag;
While alien banners only mock
With glory's fleeting wraith,
It stands on the eternal rock
Of our eternal faith;
And handed on from sire and son,
It furls not day nor night;
So England holds what England won,
And God defends the right.
When wrongs cry out for brave redress,
Our justice does not lag,
And in the name of righteousness
Moves on our stainless flag;
The helpless see it proudly shine
And hail the sheltering robe,
That heralds on the thin red line
That girdles round the globe;
A pioneer of truth as none
Before it scatters light,
And England holds what England won,
And God defends the right.
Beneath the shadow of its peace
Though riddled to a rag,
The down-trod nations gain release,
And rally round the flag;
We fight the battles of the Lord,
And never may we yield
A foot we measure with the sword--
On the red harvest-field;
And we will not retreat, while one
Stout heart remains to fight;
Let England hold what England won,
And God defend the right.