Wild child of genius with his witching lyre,
Dreamer of dreams of rarest fantasy,
Upon the earth he flashed with meteor fire,
And in his wake rolled waves of melody,
Seraphic songs as if from heaven's choir,
With elfin music, weird and mystical,
Bewitching notes that golden thoughts inspire,
Angelic strains, divinely musical.
All praise be his on this his natal day,
May all his faults and frailties be forgot,
Lay laurels on his tomb and honours pay,
Think only of the glory that he wrought.
Hail! sister nation, for thy great son's sake,
A kindred soul to Keats and Burns and Blake.