The tyrant knaves who deny man’s rights,
  And the cowards who blanch with fear,
Exclaim with glee:  “No arms have ye,
  Nor cannon, nor sword, nor spear! 
Your hills are ours—­with our forts and towers
  We are masters of mount and glen!”
Tyrants, beware! for the arms we bear
  Are the Voice and the fearless Pen! 
                                Hurrah! 
  Hurrah! for the Voice and Pen!

Though your horsemen stand with their bridles in hand,
  And your sentinels walk around! 
Though your matches flare in the midnight air,
  And your brazen trumpets sound! 
Oh! the orator’s tongue shall be heard among
  These listening warrior men;
And they’ll quickly say:  “Why should we slay
  Our friends of the Voice and Pen?”
                                Hurrah! 
  Hurrah! for the Voice and Pen!

When the Lord created the earth and sea,
  The stars and the glorious sun,
The Godhead spoke, and the universe woke
  And the mighty work was done! 
Let a word be flung from the orator’s tongue,
  Or a drop from the fearless pen,
And the chains accursed asunder burst
  That fettered the minds of men! 
                                Hurrah! 
  Hurrah! for the Voice and Pen!

Oh! these are the swords with which we fight,
  The arms in which we trust,
Which no tyrant hand will dare to brand,
  Which time cannot dim or rust! 
When these we bore we triumphed before,
  With these we’ll triumph again! 
And the world will say no power can stay
  The Voice and the fearless Pen! 
                                Hurrah! 
  Hurrah! for the Voice and Pen!

“Cease to do evil—­learn to do well."[105]

Oh! thou whom sacred duty hither calls,
  Some glorious hours in freedom’s cause to dwell,
Read the mute lesson on thy prison walls,
  “Cease to do evil—­learn to do well.”

If haply thou art one of genius vast,
  Of generous heart, of mind sublime and grand,
Who all the spring-time of thy life has pass’d
  Battling with tyrants for thy native land,
If thou hast spent thy summer as thy prime,
  The serpent brood of bigotry to quell,
Repent, repent thee of thy hideous crime,
  “Cease to do evil—­learn to do well!”

If thy great heart beat warmly in the cause
  Of outraged man, whate’er his race might be,
If thou hast preached the Christian’s equal laws,
  And stayed the lash beyond the Indian sea! 
If at thy call a nation rose sublime,
  If at thy voice seven million fetters fell,—­
Repent, repent thee of thy hideous crime,
  “Cease to do evil—­learn to do well!”

If thou hast seen thy country’s quick decay,
  And, like the prophet, raised thy saving hand,
And pointed out the only certain way
  To stop the plague that ravaged o’er the land! 
If thou hast summoned from an alien clime
  Her banished senate here at home to dwell: 
Repent, repent thee of thy hideous crime,
  “Cease to do evil—­learn to do well!”