An Immigrant's Prayer

Submitted by Herm Valenzuela

An Immigrant's Prayer (Author anonymous)

Lift every voice and sing -From those who landed here;
Till earth and heaven's ring.
Ring with the harmonies of liberty then cheer.
Let our rejoicing rise high as the list'ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of faith that dark past has taught us.
Sing a song full of hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.

Stony the road we trod, Bitter the chast'ning rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with our steady beat, Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our father's just dreamt.
We have come, over a way that with tears have been watered,
Out of our gloomy past. Till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright stars is cast.

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears
Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way,
Thou who hast by Thy might, led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we meet,
Lest our hearts, drunk with wine of the world we forget Thee,
Shadowed beneath Thy hand, May we forever stay and greet.
True to our God, Loyal to our adopted Land- an American be!


Herm C. Valenzuela, M.D. (Ret)
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11234
January 2011