History & Politics

Old Norway

by Felicia Hemans 1793–1835

From Miscellaneous Lyrics

History & Politics

Arise! Old Norway sends the word
Of battle on the blast;
Her voice the forest pines hath stirr’d,
As if a storm went past;
Her thousand hills the call have heard,
And forth their fire-flags cast.

Arm, arm, free hunters! for the chase,
The kingly chase of foes!
’Tis not the bear or wild wolf’s race
Whose trampling shakes the snows:
Arm, arm! ’tis on a nobler trace
The northern spearman goes.

Our hills have dark and strong defiles,
With many an icy bed;
Heap there the rocks for funeral piles
Above the invader’s head!
Or let the seas, that guard our isles,
Give burial to his dead!

MLA

Hemans, Felicia. “Old Norway.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/hemans/481/.

Chicago

Hemans, Felicia. “Old Norway.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/hemans/481/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

More by Felicia Hemans