Hymn For The Dedication Of Memorial Hall At Cambridge, June 23, 1874

Where, girt around by savage foes,     Our nurturing Mother's shelter rose,     Behold, the lofty temple stands,     Reared by her children's grateful hands!     Firm are the pillars that defy     The volleyed thunders of the sky;     Sweet are the summer wreaths that twine     With bud and flower our martyrs' shrine.     The hues their tattered colors bore     Fall mingling on the sunlit floor     Till evening spreads her spangled pall,     And wraps in shade the storied hall.     Firm were their hearts in danger's hour,     Sweet was their manhood's morning flower,     Their hopes with rainbow hues were bright, -     How swiftly winged the sudden night!     O Mother! on thy marble page     Thy children read, from age to age,     The mighty word that upward leads     Through noble thought to nobler deeds.     TRUTH, heaven-born TRUTH, their fearless guide,     Thy saints have lived, thy heroes died;     Our love has reared their earthly shrine,     Their glory be forever thine!