DARK BLUE
O Statesmen who devise and plot
To keep the White above the Black,
Who tremble when your bolt is shot
Lest love and loyalty grow slack,
There's not a deed of craftsmanship,
There's not a thing Red Tape can do,
Shall knit the Hindoo with the Celt
As much as this—the Cambridge Blue!
No million acres of Despatch,
No tanks of governmental ink,
Can force a native not to watch
For days when England's star may sink.
Build factories to weave the tape,
Make tables for the rice and dew—
Do all your best, and you shall miss
The binding force of Cambridge Blue!
An Indian gentleman to-day
Has staled your tortoise policy;
And thousands cheer to see him play,
A splendid batsman, quick and free.
A game shall dwindle all your cares,
A clever catch and runs a few!
A Parliament may fail indeed,
But not the band of Cambridge Blue!