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 Shows 'mid the ruins, smoking yet, of things that once have been, Above the crash of Kings and States, a Sovereignty serene,

Which, like the Queen we hail to-day with many a jubilant chime, Retains its beauty unimpaired despite the lapse of time.

Who thinks, upon the nuptial morn, that love and bliss may fail? There is the hope, there is the joy, there is the bridal veil.

This is an Empire's Wedding-day: its fair ideal shines, And of its hopes and purposes a fadeless garland twines.

Not ours to hide, in garish light, the shadows round the Throne,— War's consequence, the orphan's cry, mothers and widows' moan,—

Religious discord, social strife, and racial discontent,— The murmur of the toiling crowds, beneath their burdens bent.

These to the Empire's heart appeal, nor to the crown belong; There is a meaning in the words, "the King can do no wrong."