To England
Lines of a Russian Jew
In childhood I learned to love thee,
Thy name was a legend to me;
I dreamt of a distant great island,
Where men may be strong, yet be free.
And I, who the clatter of fetters
Have heard in my childhood and youth,
Do bless thee for giving me refuge,
And faith in the triumph of truth.
Thou art not my stepmother, England,
My sister of mercy thou art;
For thee in the hour of thy trial
A brotherly love fills my heart.
P. M. RASKIN, 1914.