That soul's every toil and trial,
That soul's every triumph sublime,
Are sounding in songs immortal,--
To their music the flag beats time.
We bear it along surrounded
By mem'ry's melodious choir,
By mild and whispering voices,
By will and stormy desire.
It gives not to others guidance,
Can not a Swedish word say;
It never can flaunt allurement:--
Clear the foreign colors away!
III
The sins and deceits of our nation
Possess in the flag no right;
The flag is the high ideal
In honor's immortal light.
The best of our past achievements,
The best of our present prayers,
It takes in its folds from the fathers
And bears to the sons and heirs;
Bears it all pure and artless,
By tokens that tempt us unmarred,
Is for our will's young manhood
Leader as well as guard.
IV
They say: "As by rings of betrothal
We are by the flag affied!"
But Norway is _not_ betroth?d,
She _is_ no one's promised bride.
She shares her abode with no one,
Her bed and her board to none yields,
Her will is her worthy bridegroom,
Herself rules her sea, her fields.
Our brother to eastward honors
This independence of youth.
_He_ knows well that by it only
Our wreath can be won in truth.
When we from the flag are taking
His colors, _he_ knows 't is no whim,
But merely because we are holding
Our honor higher than him.
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