| OVER the carnage rose prophetic a voice, | |
| Be not dishearten’d—Affection shall solve the problems of Freedom yet; | |
| Those who love each other shall become invincible—they shall yet make Columbia victorious. | |
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| Sons of the Mother of All! you shall yet be victorious! | |
| You shall yet laugh to scorn the attacks of all the remainder of the earth. | 5 |
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| No danger shall balk Columbia’s lovers; | |
| If need be, a thousand shall sternly immolate themselves for one. | |
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| One from Massachusetts shall be a Missourian’s comrade; | |
| From Maine and from hot Carolina, and another, an Oregonese, shall be friends triune, | |
| More precious to each other than all the riches of the earth. | 10 |
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| To Michigan, Florida perfumes shall tenderly come; | |
| Not the perfumes of flowers, but sweeter, and wafted beyond death. | |
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| It shall be customary in the houses and streets to see manly affection; | |
| The most dauntless and rude shall touch face to face lightly; | |
| The dependence of Liberty shall be lovers, | 15 |
| The continuance of Equality shall be comrades. | |
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| These shall tie you and band you stronger than hoops of iron; | |
| I, extatic, O partners! O lands! with the love of lovers tie you. | |
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| (Were you looking to be held together by the lawyers? | |
| Or by an agreement on a paper? or by arms? | 20 |
| —Nay—nor the world, nor any living thing, will so cohere.) | |
