The Martyr

                              I.
O, nobly hast thou fallen in the fight
     Of holy freedom ! and thy name shall be 
     Henceforth the watchword of the good and free,
Whose arms are nerved to battle for the right!
In the dark days before us, 'mid the night 
     Of a stern tyranny, we'll think of thee,
Martyr of God! and strike for liberty
With faith unwavering, and an arm of might!
Not unavenged, O brother, shall thy blood
     Sink in the ground; its voice shall upward ring 
     A fearful cry to wake the slumbering,
Reaching the ear of an avenging God !
And millions, roused, shall swear upon thy grave
Death to oppression, freedom to the slave !

                              II.
And thou, devoted wife! who nobly stood
     With martyr-zeal, and in the strength sublime 
     Of a fond heart withstood the men of crime
Who sought, with fiend-like rage, thy husband's blood —
Bereft of earthly hope, and in the flood
     Of a dark sorrow overwhelmed, what now
     For thee remains? Submissively to bow 
And own the chastening of a Father's rod! 
God help thee, broken heart! Thy sacrifice
     Is mighty, but it shall not be in vain!
     His blood, thy tears, they shall not sink, like rain, 
Unnoted to the ground! From freemen's eyes 
The scales are falling, and this woe shall be 
The ransom of a people, — joy, in grief, for thee!

                                   III.

Joy, that through this, thy fearful suffering, 
     Deliverance for the captive shall be wrought! 
     The chain is snapped that bound the indignant thought
In human breasts too long, and men will fling 
     Fear from their spirits as they think of thee, 
     And strike for freedom till the earth be free!
For a stern purpose thou art set apart
     By this most bloody baptism! 'Mid distress
Then bear thou up, and gird around thy heart 
     Strength for his sake who now is fatherless
Lean upon God and linger yet awhile, 
     And from thy desolation thou shalt see 
     The dawning of the day of jubilee,
When the freed earth shall bask in Heaven's reviving smile!