TARANAKI'S FAREWELL TO LORD AND LADY RANFURLY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 200, 25 June 1903, Page 4

TARANAKI'S FAREWELL TO LORD AND LADY RANFURLY.

| Gathered, to-night, around the festive b» )wl, How shines in every eye, the breathing w oul; As upward turn the clear and thougl itful glances, Reason at rest, the while each looJ : entrances. To-night we meet to bid you long Adt eu, And yield true homage to our King ti irough you— You who so ably represent, out hero, I Far from the Empire's ceutre, him, e fear, Accept ovti Jffesence as the proof to-t lay Of honour, deeper than our hearts can pay, To him who ruling weil on England's throne Upholds the laws, by which her power has grown, And guards the Freedom that each Bj itisher, As in the past, for ages shall prefer. Ye who nobly represent our King and Queen, Behold with pleasure deep, this evening scene; Where genial mirth steps lightly here awhile, And bids each countenance diffiuse its smile. And from this Province bear away some tecs? Of respect given to them who rule our race. Thus Tarauaki would our Sovereign howe | Of all the loyalty we here, contented, show To Edward, by the grace of God, the King Of the great Empire now began to spring With new found hope and power from out England's fair Oolcsiies, that, without doubt, Are destined to expand and grow , 'Neath heaven's above ana earths, below. Where } er your home ©ball in fcihe future be» Think of New Zealand! and its scenery Of damp dark forests, graced with many a "Whose solitude to busy fields shall turn; Of mountain ranges, islafflflß, clifls and crags Where winter in the reabsaof summer lags; Of bright wide valleys wlnue- the azuie sky Outrivals e'en the heavens' cit Italy. Of warm New Zealand» -varied thermal sights, ~ , Showering their treasures in & thousand, lights, Now shaping fairy tenements again Where once the Terraces adorned tile plain, Ruby and white, and more celestial hue, Fair, faint, and bright, form sOeatly in view. Think of New Plymouth, seated "by the tide, Whereon the ships from every clime shall ride Secure at anchor, e'er a decade more Shall, rolling, see the use of nat lire's store; And wealth transmuted from her ironsand Gladden with wide-spread use the joyous land: ' And of Mount Egmont whose encircling Slopes gently seaward, whilst on. every face Primeval forests, bush well-named for years, Rear heavenward their arms till disappears Beneath the creepers and the 'orchids there, The light of heaven in day and. midnight fair. While high above the bush-clad darker zone, Rises through circling cloud her icy cone, Clear in the sunlight era the Northern breeze Sweeps to her side the cloud, o'er foam-tipped seas. Alll all! the prospect breathes the highest arts. Once seen, t&e form of mighty Egmont ner departs From wondering eyes, for memory claims Such peerless pictures hung in unseen , frames; Of these we speak, and whereso'er you go, 1 Remember our dark shores and Egmont's snow. And last, not least, the hearts that ever beat I True to our King and to the friends we meet. 1 And if our laws seem wider than they need, ■ Judged by an older standard, what's decreed Is for the future—we have little fear That they will prove a double blessing here. We, in the danger of a new and growing State,

Have neither wish nor will new dangers to create. But from the ills that threaten older lands Early we turn away, nor on the sands 0£ shifting theory do we build in hope, But well have founded and begun to cope With the vast problems that beset mankind As it evolving leaves each stage behind. Our laws shall stand, justice will not deny Our. individual rights, our destiny; United as a people we shall be Among the nations known indeed as fret!. Accept our homage, and may favouring fates O'er watch your journeys, and whate'er creates In hearts true happiness be yours such boon All through the voyage to be yours is soon; All through life's years may sunshine grace Your varied lot, esteemed in every place. May you, though distant, even there retain Some pleasant memories of our town and plain; Of this bright eve, of those who honour you Hera in New Zealand, when it's lost to view. I?ear then to Britain, loved land of our sires, The message fond of a State that aspires, .Say "that our aims are the same as they hold, One flag and one speech the same lessons unfold; But broader and deeper the currents of thought In our bosoms a land of more freedom have sought, And here have we found, and we know not in vain, An Island that soon shall a nation contain, 'With laws that shall last, for with hope for •the poor And comfort for all—truly all shall endure." Pbulyria. Juno 23rd, 1905.