Bow down unto the dust your lofty head:
Strip you of all your rich and
proud attire;
In sackcloth and in ashes humbly tread:
With shame and sorrow let your prayers be said,
In this the hour of grief, and
peril dire.
Foul was the heart that prompted such a deed:
Great was the man who in death’s
silence lies—
Was it the lust of wealth, or love of greed
Had aught to do with making of the breed
That called our honored Chief
to sacrifice?
Be still! God reigns! His purpose will unfold
The lesson of this saddened, chastened
hour.
Unfurl the banner as in days of old;
Write on the Stars and Stripes in letters bold,
Thine is the Kingdom, Glory, and
the Power.
