Legend of the Griffin
Akin to giants of Greek fame
_Who ruled the ancient world,
He held the minds of mortal men—
_A marvel to behold:
An eagle’s beak, a piercing eye,
_A freedom-loving wing,
A lion’s frame, a fearless heart,
_The valor of a king.
The ancients loved and worshipped him—
_The old world’s golden sun,
They basked in his protective rays
_Until the time had come
To shift the shining of his light,
_To move his golden nest,
To watch as brilliant solar rays
_Rose in the waking West.
To cross the ocean through the air—
_To mortals seemed absurd,
But could not sway our godlike beast,
_And he was not deterred.
He fought the distance and the winds
_And reached the shore at length,
But through his struggles he had lost
_His every drop of strength.
He closed his eyes, his breathing slowed,
_He felt his death at hand,
And as he died, he gave his soul
_To those upon the land—
A soul that let its freedom ring,
_A strength that knew no bounds,
An eagle’s will, a lion’s power
_Soaked through that sacred ground.
We knew. We heard his ancient voice
_On that historic turf
And raised a country from the place
_We know as Griffin’s Wharf.
Our freedom, strength, and nation’s pride,
_As if to pay a debt,
We feel each moment of our lives,
_And never will forget.
Iryna Hall immigrated from Ukraine in 1997 and is now married and living in Utah.
