MY Canada! I would that I thy child might frame A song half worthy of thy name, Proudly I say— This is our country, strong, and broad and grand, This is our Canada, our native land! My Canada! ’Tis meet that all the world should know How far thy sweeping rivers flow, How fair to-day Thy bonnie lakes upon thy bosom lie, Their faces laughing upward to the sky. My Canada! We look alway with love and pride Upon thy forests deep and wide, And gladly say. “These giant fellows, mighty grown with age, Are part and parcel of our heritage.” My Canada! So rich in glow and bracing air, With meadows stretching everywhere, With gardens gay, With smiling orchards, sending forth to greet Full breaths of perfume from their burdens sweet. My Canada! Thou art not old, thou art not skilled, But through the ages youth hath thrilled; ’Tis dawn with thee, Thou has a glorious promise, and thy powers Are measured only by the golden hours. My Canada! What thou art now we know full well, What thou wilt grow to be? Ah! who can tell? We see to-day Thy lithe form running swiftly in the race, For all the things which older lands do grace. My Canada! With loyal sons to take thy part, To hold thee shrined within the heart, Proudly we say, “This is our country, strong, and broad, and grand, “God guard thee Canada, our native land! |