Hope

I.
Hope is the Sailor
  On every sea,—
Never a failer
  Nor falterer he!
Tho' the waves rise up
  Tho' the skies fall,
Hope ever flies up
  High over all!

II.
Hope is the Soldier
  In every zone,
Blyther and bolder
  Never was known!
Tho' perils thicken
  Till chaos begins,
Stout and unstricken
  He fights till he wins!

III.
Hope is the Merchant
  For every clime,—
Active and urgent
  And outbidding Time!
Nations may founder,
  Kingdoms be broke,—
His credit's sounder
  Than Britain's own oak!

IV.
Hope is the Brother
  To the world's end,—
Never another
  Half such a friend!
Spite of all sadness
  Peril and pain,
Hope! be my gladness
  Glory and gain!