Who came from Cuba’s heated sands to gather Aztec gold,
His heart was big with courage; with his hands he seized the helm,
And he gathered the power and gained the dower of Montezuma’s realm.
The muffled war drums mocked him, from the top of the white stone wall,
And the maddened priests reviled him as they heard his trumpets call.
His Tlascalan allies trembled at the curse of the warriors red,
But the cry was ever “Onward!” to the city’s fountain head.
To the top of the teocalli where the eagle banner floats,
Where the evil gods are smiling and Huitzilopochtli gloats;
Up! Up! our leader clambered. Up! Up! and won the prize,