Explore "America" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
I AM the refuge of all the oppressed, / I am the boast of the free, / I am the harbour where ships may rest / Safely 'twixt sea and sea. / I hold up a torch to a darkened world, / I lighten the path with its ray. / Let my hand keep steady / And let me be ready / For whatever comes my way- / Let me be ready.
Oh, better than fortresses, better than guns, / Better than lance or spear, / Are the loyal hearts of my daughters and sons, / Faithful and without fear. / But my daughters and sons must understand / _That Attila did not die_. / And they must be ready, / Their hands must be steady, / If the hosts of hell come nigh- / They must be ready.