Rule, Britannia!

When Britain first at Heav'n's command,

Arose from out the azure main;

This was the charter of the land,

And guardian angels sang this strain;

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Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves;

Britons never shall be slaves.

The nations not so blest as thee,

Shall in their turns to tyrants fall;

While thou shalt flourish great and free,

The dread and envy of them all.

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Still more majestic shalt thou rise,

More dreadful from each foreign stroke;

As the loud blast that tears the skies,

Serves but to root thy native oak.

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Thee haughty tyrants ne'er shall tame,

All their attempts to bend thee down;

Will but arouse thy generous flame,

But work their woe, and thy renown.

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To thee belongs the rural reign,

They cities shall with commerce shine;

All thine shall be the subject main,

And every shore it circles thine.

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The Muses, still with freedom found,

Shall to thy happy coast repair;

Blest Isle! With matchless beauty crowned,

And manly hearts to guide the fair.

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De melodie van het lied Rule Britannia is ook gebruikt als melodie voor andere teksten, zoals voor een lied uit Opwekkingsbundel en voor het gemeenschappelijke verenigingslied van Navigators Studentenverenigingen Nederland.