(1909) [ Derde deel ] The star of Holland Door David Jayne Hill .Land of the opal skies , and sea - lashed dunes That hedge thy verdant pastures from the wave , Whereon thy sturdy sons in peace and war Have wrought their mighty miracles of toil , How steadfastly , these many weary moons , Have waited on the sovereign boon they crave The eager watchers for the rising star , - The seal of Heaven on happy Holland ' s soil ! March piped the Northwind ' s blatant tempest - horn With that stern music of the troubled main Which roared when Tromp once swept the narrow seas And sounded oft through Ruyter ' s flowing sails ; Still to this challenge thus so rudely borne No answer came , and long delay again Left the mute watchers on their patient knees Till March had blown his breath away in gales ! Then April wept , and smiling through her tears Spread her bright blossoms on the radiant field , - Rewards of patience , proving that the good We cannot force from Nature ' s careful hand Will come in her own way , despite our fears ; For every sower must await the yield Of Nature ' s prudent bounty , and her mood Is coy and maidenlike in every land .So , not from blustering wind and darkening cloud , Nor from afar , as from some distant sphere , But from the soil , a tribute of the deep , Blooms the fair flower of dear Holland ' s fate .