The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-06-03

WING IHe living U Vi uueHi "cOP,
And the men whom Lee and Stonewall led
And tie hearts that once together bled,
Together still shall sleep.
THE DISH0NORED BANNER
ADAPTED FROM "THE AMERICAN FLAG"
That banner, whose dim. waning light
Glints family on the trembling air,
Seems filched from the robes of night,
Without one star Of glory there!
Erst glowed its folds with gorgeous dyes,
Like raylets from the azure skies,
And cleaned its pure, celestial white
With streakings Of the morning light;
Flag of the free hearts hopes and home,
BY angel hands to valor given!
It's stars did light the welkin dome,
And all its hues were born in heaven
Now on its folds tn unwilling sun
Sheds lingering rays of the evenings dun,
Since last twas born by tyrant's hand,
The symbol of his Fandal band.
Majestic monarch Of the cloud!
No more thou reard'st on high thy form
Amidst wars tempest bowling loud,
Amid the hurtling death-shafts driven,
As though the hell-fends of the storm
Had seized the thunderbolts of Heaven
While freedom from her eyrie gazed,
Beheld her banner of the free
Careering where her temples blazed
And, erst, her plains of victory
Ensanguined with her children's blood,
And darkness where her affairs stood,
Then babe her angel from the skies
Wash from thy folds her gorgeous dyes
Flag Of the brave no more thonlt fly
The sign of hope and triumph high!
No more the standard of the brave,
Thou'rt the symbol of the tremling slave,
Since he alone thy stripes will bear
And all thy shameful guerdons wear.
No more the soldiers eye shall turn
To sec thy meteor glories burn.
For those red ineteors rise and fall
Like glots of flame on midnight pail;
Nor foes shall heed their fitftll glow,
Nor gallant arm shall strike below
But darkling hosts shall cover beneath
Thee, hateful messenger of death,
For freemen's life-blood, warm and wet,
Has dimmed thy glittering coronet!
Flag of the seas! the ocean wave
Shall spurn thee floating DER the brave,
And shamed afoam shall hurl thee back
As fore the broadside's Keeling rack,
When death, careering on the gale,
Sweeps darkly round the bellied sail,
Each hapless wanderer Of the sea,
Whose gaze toward Heaven shall pause al
thee,
Shall blush as thou dost hooking Fly,
Like lowering ghoul, to see him die!
Cold are those hearts that warmed for thee
And all their love-born hopes are fled;
No more thon'rt standard of the free,
Thy sons ofvalor are all dead!
Grim horror claims the free hearts home,
Tovandal hordes for rapine given,
Whose flames did light the welken dome,
And shamed the genial glow of Heaven
Go; float over yon Bastile's towers
Where late the despot babe thee wave,
And as the night of freedom lowers,
Honceforth be standard of the slave.
~
Behold the young morn streaks the sky;
The old stars deck the welkin dome;
See Factions clouds how swift they fly.
While Freedom seeks her ancient home
She filings her banner DER the lea;
1t greets each snn-lit hill and dale,
Statutes the sky, the earth, the sea-.
And floats in beauty on the gale;
Its azure folds how bright they gleaml
Since allits hues were born in Heaven
Like lingering memories of q dream,
Or weird forms in Summers even;
Still miscreants claim its magic sway! +
In vapid boastings, deep and loud,
While Freedoms self they scourge away
TO die within her bloody shroud. ls
New YoRK, April, 1868. P. G. w.