AUSTRIA-HUNGARY
Mine is a house divided but upheld
By the sheer force of many hemming powers.
Ages, like forests, have been hewn and felled
To build my crumbling towers.
RUSSIA
Gray winters flourish and old empires fail;
And still the starry watchmen sally forth
As wardens, with me, of the frozen grail
And ramparts of the north.
BALKAN STATES
Stabbing the skies for stars and air in which
To bask awhile and breathe—shall we remain
Simply the little brothers of the rich?
God! have we fought in vain?
SPAIN
Strong was my soul in war and wise in peace.
On whom else was the Moslem vanguard hurled?
O but for me had any Genoese
Sailed and brought back a world?
SWITZERLAND
High noons and sunsets pass while I repeat
The world-old secret of the endless quest;
And with the nations ageing at my feet,
I overlook the west.