OUR LAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 1583, 25 March 1882, Page 25

OUR LAND.

You tell me of the older lands, And all their garnered store, The thoughtß of minds, and works of hands, In the dim days of yore. Of noble mansions, standing fair On each oak-shaded lea ; And all the land a garden raro, Engirdlod by the sea. Than this I know no other land, No fairer one I seek ; I lore her rock-ribbed mountains grand, I love each shaded creek ; Each rolling ridge with tussac spread, , Each hill engirdled plain, Where river links like silver thread Lie 'mid the golden grain. The buah which silent, solemn spreads, WhorVwdfn shadefthe streamlet threads Its dim, untrodden way. Tho snow-capped monarchy of tne west, The foaming cataracts' roar, Long flies of waves, whose snowy crests Engirdle all the shore. The stranger sneers, he in our land, Seeß nothing save its gold ; Or golden sheaves like armies stand, Or sheep within the fold. For him our wealth will purchase Joys In lands beyond the sea ; The wealth we win, New Zealand boya Will build a nation free. New Zealand boys then, hand In hand, The land that gave us birth, For ever will it be the land, To us of all the earth. With daring thoughts and daring deeds, And willing hands to do, We'll bettle where our country needs, The faithful and the true. In this young land let it be told, The race again is young ; The hearts of the sea kings of old, Of which the poets sung, Are ours, with all the added truth, Engraved on scienco page,' The strength, the hope of buoyant truth, The wisdom of the sage. Hurrah, my boys, a noble timo, There's work for heroes here ; < Born are we in our land's young prime, The spring time of her year. Let others each historic scene Paint where a world can see ; We'll let them dream o'er what has been, And shew them what can be. Oscar Brown.

Gore, March 15th.