Decorah-posten og ved arnen., 1909-09-03
WE ARE THE VIKINGS
CHILDREN STILL. ~ ~
Written for The Norwegian Day at The Aissks Yukon Exposition. ssatus.
BY FREDERICK voSs MoHNL

Our fathers brave the Vikings were,
Most feared in all the world.
They never did a weakling spare;
To death we're towards hurled.
They we're the children of their times; the strongest ruled the best.
They sailed as quickly as they came;
But sometimes though they stayed
And gave their blood and life and name
In payment for the raid.
From Viking seed the manly Briton sprung.
Our fathers conquered distant shore
OF Britain, Greece and France
And gave to them the richest lore
And ruled then" with a lance;
The mighty lance of freedom, justice, brotherhood!
They we're our fathers. Us they gave
Some treasures and not few:
No man shall be his brothers slave;
Your judges twelve men true.
oh, for the just and liberty loving Vikmgs!
From quiet mountain wales, from busy towns and restless sea
A constant stream of modern Vikings go
To conquer newer land, to build their homes and there to be
The masters of their castles and to owe
No one except his God, himself and wife
The thanks for better, sweeter, freer life.
IT'S IS of odi We think W e move from cares and from ourselves,
But scarcely are we here at home,
We find an old familiar face
Still smiling from the shelves,
Or sitting on the new turned loan
The Viking eyes will syy say:
at seems as if we move today!
And as we strain the sinews of our body and our mind
In breathless effort to keep in the race,
At murky night, our eyes with tears and toll and heartache blind,
Our hands go out for the bewtchng haze
OF Norway's sunny dreamy summer night;
By birth, with some, their only wealth and right,
Tn vain we stretch our hands-There is no answer any more,
For we are traitors in the eyes of those,
Who stay at home. We should have stayed and done our faithful chore.
We should have plucked the thorn from off the rose.
We burned our bridges-on a wild and western strand
We find ourselves as strangers in an unknown land.
Like trees torn up and planted in some new and foreign ground,
We bow our heads in sorrow and despair.
But just at first! For in our roots the sap flows strong and sound.
Our very nature is to do and dare,
As did our fathers-And as the longer
Here we stay, our roots grow tender,-stronger.
We are the vikings children still, For u the open plain,
For us the mighty waters, be they black or bright
For us the virgin forest, which none has dared to stain!
For us in deepest shadow to kindle rays of Light
For is to be the vanguard of the wild and woody west!'
For us to give the answer to the wary Redmen's jestl
No more Gems all SO strange; 10 more so mereiless
The sun beats down on country and on people.
No longer seems our life the coolest game of chess.
No longer ar we pawns. moved as in the widest steeple-
Chase for weath.-No longer any privilege to carry
Wood or water for some native Jim or Larryl
No more with thankful hearts and childEke faith
Will we eer take the politicians bait
Who speak the language of the land,
Who squeeze so eagerly our hand.
No longer ar we Foreigners" and voting Cattle,
Who not know the meaning and the value of their prattle.
No or shall even Norway's son ~
Through us his wicked schemes have won!
Disgrace and shame on him, whose unfair laws
Are strict for poor,-for rich are full of fawsi
For though of foreign lands we like the name of Norway best,
We love the welfare of our country more than all the rest.
And he who dares to act against our will
Shall feel that we re Vikings children still.
We are the equals of our peers
In this broad land. We know no fears
OF anyone o any thing
Except our God, and him we bring
With joyful hearts our fervent thanks,
That he has placed US in your ranks.
We thank him too that to your land
We did not come with empty hand.
God gave to you exceeding wealth,
To IS he gave good cheer and health;
He gave the Vikings strength in arm,
But also freedoms blessed charm
He gave-tis best to say no more,
But leave to history to score.
Though strength and arms and wealth may fail,
Shall freedom evermore prevail
In fight for that. on plain or hill
We are the Vikings children STILL