A civic lady, peerly proud
Of excellences that here crowd
   About her trim, well-ordered streets:
   The visitor she warmly greets
E'er with a bland and kindly smile,
Full conscious of her grace the while --
   A grace that comes of duty done
   Thro' long years in her grateful sun.
 
Fit cause for pride lies in her past:
Her solid buildings, reared to last,
   And all her old-world atmosphere
   Hinting at Holland quaintly here,
With windmills turning in the breeze
Wafted from her historic seas
   That knew the sails of venturers
   Long ere this pleasant land was hers.
 
The stone man's footprints, graved in stone,
About her ancient rocks are known;
   Here, too, the Spaniard, 'neath her wave,
   Found with his stately ship a grave.
And thus, thro' hist'ry, can she show
How men may wax and men may grow
   By wisely planned development
   To an estate of proud content.
 
So, 'mid her rich lands of the south -
Cast from a burning mountain's mouth -
   She grows her fruits and lives her life
   Remote from hectic city strife.
And who shall come to her wide sea,
Seeking her hospitality,
   In this contented dame shall find
   A gracious lady, calm and kind.

"Den"
Herald, 27 December 1933, p6