XI.
And thus have lived our heroes in the past:
The army of the brave and noble who
Have laboured uncomplaining, and at last
Have yielded up their lives; but there are few
Whose names stand forth, as worth would bid them stand,
Revered and honoured in their fatherland.
XII.
But Canada, let not the brave Champlain
Be thus in dark oblivion forgot.
Grant him the fame he never sought to gain;
Pay him the honour that he courted not;
And on thine earliest page of history
Write large his name, not as a mystery
XIII.
Or name unknown—but tell his deeds abroad,
And teach thy children all that he has done
Not hard the task, and thou canst well afford
To show the gratitude that he has won
From thee; and thus thou surely wilt impart
A proud ambition in thy children's heart
XIV.
To imitate the man, so true and brave,
Who laboured self-denyingly in life,
And 'neath the city's walls has found a grave,
At rest at last, and free from further strife.
Thus, as thy children knowledge of him gain,
Their hearts shall burn to emulate Champlain.