“Canadian Born”–Pauline Johnson

All semester I’ve been hating everything I’ve read for my Canadian Literature class, and this poem is the first thing I’ve liked, so I thought I’d share:

We first saw light in Canada, the land beloved of God;
We are the pulse of Canada, its marrow and its blood;
And we, the men of Canada, can face the world and brag
That we were born in Cananda beneath the British flag.

Few of us have the blood of kings, few are of courtly birth,
But few are vagabonds or rogues of doubtful name and worth;
And all have one credential that entitles us to brag—
That we were born in Canada beneath the British flag.

We've yet to make our money, we've yet to make our fame
But we have gold and glory in our clean colonial name;
And every man's a millionaire if only he can brag
That he was born in Canada beneath the British flag.

No title and no coronet is half so proudly worn
As that which we inherited as men Canadian born.
We count no man so noble as the one who makes the brag
That he was born in Canada beneath the British flag.

The Dutch may have their Holland, the Spaniard have his Spain
The Yankee to the south of us must south of us remain;
For not a man dare lift a hand against the men who brag
That they were born in Canada beneath the British flag.

***

It kinda reminds me both of the Molson Canadian “I Am Canadian” ad, as well as “Canada’s Really Big” by the Arrogant Worms. If you aren’t Canadian and/or haven’t heard either of those, I suggest looking them up on YouTube =)

Thanks for reading!