I saw a world upon whose bended brows
Grim Time had set the mark of countless woes;
I saw the dream of human hearts grown dim,
And hope laid prostrate in the dust of days.
Yet still the pulse of life beat high and strong,
Does not despair its blazing banner furl;
Within that world there lived an ardent faith
That man, with courage, could each wrong undo.
And from the gloom broke forth a light of dawn,
A resurrection of the spirit’s power,
Till everywhere the weary soul discerned
That night must yield at last to victory’s hour.