Explore "The Hour" by Various on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
We've shut the gates by Dover Straits, / And North, where the tides run free, / Cheek by jowl, our watchdogs prowl, / Grey hulks in a greyer sea. / And the prayer that England prays to-night -- / O Lord of our destiny! -- / As the foam of our plunging prows, is white; / We have stood for peace, and we war for right, / God give us victory!
Now slack, now strung, from the mainmast flung, / The flag throbs fast in the breeze; / Strained o'er the foam, like the hearts at home / That beat for their sons on the seas. / For mothers and wives are praying to-night -- / O Lord of our destiny! -- / But we've no time, for our lips are tight, / Our fists are clenched, and we're stripped to fight. / God give us victory!