Finis Coronat Opus

A haze of lies has shrouded so The minds of men, with heads hung low, That truth and honor stand despised And mocked beneath the cowards’ cries. How weary, beaten down, and faint, Have grown the ones who guard the gates, As weakest minds of limpest grasp Are slow to learn, to anger fast. But scornful fools, though loud they cry, Must pass, and simple thought must die; And still will stand the people bold, Whose minds were kept from lies of old.

Amid a sea of blackest night, Wherein float sparks of light, And far off wonders quiet float While singing starlight’s notes; Far within this dark abyss, Where gloom and splendor kiss, There lies an azure marble fair Safe from the unknown’s lair. Alone, upon this spinning ball, ‘Mid suns and planets all, Teems life, in countless, wondrous forms, And dies, and is reborn. And while the depths of vastest space Are void of living race, Upon this world dwell minds and hearts Wherein adventure sparks.

Upon the oceans, long ago,  Did bold explorers bravely show Their strength and will upon the seas, Far off from home and lives of ease, For lands afar, ‘neath curious skies; Adventure called with every tide. The years did pass, and more then sailed In mighty ships, ‘mid stormy gale; They braved the doldrums, crossed the sea, They planted flags on foreign beach, And generations after thrived Upon the lands these men did find. And then, through many tens of years, As lands were settled on this sphere, And maps were made of islands far,  And oceans deep were drawn on charts; What now, of ventures bold and grand, When all the earth is known to man? So some strong hearts above did gaze, As did their forbears in past days, And looked upon the heavens fair, To stars, and moon, and empty air, And set their minds to go and see What wonders past the skies there be. A sea of stars they sail upon, On silent tides, where winds are gone, And seek they knowledge, wonders vast, Beyond horizon...

When men beneath a yoke of kings Pass all their lives in thrall. And dare not think of liberty Lest to despair they fall; When lords aloft in castles great Send forth their men to wars, And care they not what be their fate Beyond the palace doors; When freedom’s light still burns beyond The mist of tyranny, Tis duty’s call, to break such bonds, And fight for liberty.

How long has mem’ry ceased to be Among a people free, And how long shall a country last, Forgetful of her past? Shall deeds of valor fade away, Like light at end of day, And tales of men in battle brave Lie with them in the grave? And what becomes of culture built On Justice’s strong hill, When no man living knows her name Except in twisted frame? Great men did not their lives forsake That children might then break The choicest gems of freedom dear, And yoke of bondage wear.

In western land, across the sea, Where men of old fought to be free From tyrant’s cruel scepter grim, And did at last their country win, They statutes wrote, and laws did pass, ‘Neath which no crooked king could last. Protected they the rights of all, To life, and liberty, and call To work their pleasure, joy pursue, And safeguards to their line embue; Great words and laws and deeds were done In early days ‘neath freedom’s sun. Yet o’er the years, these rights forgot The leaders of this nation; naught But power, wealth, and station high Did ever catch their greedy eye, And right to life was swift denied The weakest ones, in dreadful pride. When nation great forgets from whence It grew and nourished hope long since, And flees from God, Who granted peace And gave all people liberty, Then ought we rise, and plead, and fight, Repent in heart, and strive for life.