Keep White the Strain
[author unknown]
(late 1800s?)
"Keep white the strain!"
Oh! brothers mine, in bitter shame
Australia kneels and makes the prayer;
Wrench out the loathsome lusts and swear
To be men worthy of the name;
To hold your manhood with such price,
Such love of lineage and race,
That, when the nations give her place,
She shall go forth all purified.
"Keep white the strain!"
Oh, maiden of the sunny south
Slim maiden, trim and typical
Let not forbidden kisses fall
Upon thy sweet love-drenched mouth;
But rather teach the alien earth,
The Island and the Asian horde,
Thy body, by thine own accord,
Shall bear true witness of thy birth.
For this is our most sacred trust,
That ye shall in the full maintain,
Whether in simple love or lust -
"Keep white the strain!"
Bush song quoted by E. S. Emerson, in A Shanty Entertainment, 1904.
Fire of the Southern Cross: A Collection of Poetry for Australian Nationalists
Australian Nationalism Information Database - www.ausnatinfo.angelfire.com/~natinfo
