Stanley Weir's "O Canada"

The proposal, now withdrawn, to change the English (note, not the French) text to O Canada made me think to the original English text.

Interestingly, the original text is gender neutral (more or less) and, while referring to a deity, is far less specific in religious sentiment than the current version (the French text is openly Christian).

"O Canada" was proclaimed Canada's national anthem on July 1, 1980, 100 years after it was first sung, in French, on June 24, 1880.

The music was composed by Calixa Lavallée, a well-known composer; French lyrics to accompany the music were written by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier, a judge of the Quebec Superior Court, later Chief Justice of Quebec. The version on which the official English lyrics are based was a poem written in 1908 by Mr. Justice Robert Stanley Weir (1856-1926). It's curious that both French and English texts to O Canada should be written by judges, a group not usually known for writing poetry.

Justice Weir was born in Hamilton, in what was then Canada West. He took all his higher education in Montreal, and was qualified for both teaching and the law. He chose law and rose rapidly in the profession, becoming a judge first as Recorder of the City of Montréal and later to the Exchequer Court of Canada (now the Federal Court of Canada). He wrote both learned legal works and poetry, and his fame as a writer won him election as a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Original Poem by Weir

The original poem of 1908 by Justice Weir reads as follows:

"O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love thou dost in us command.
We see thee rising fair, dear land,
The True North, strong and free;
And stand on guard, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.

Refrain
O Canada! O Canada!
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.

O Canada! Where pines and maples grow.
Great prairies spread and lordly rivers flow.
How dear to us thy broad domain,
From East to Western Sea,
Thou land of hope for all who toil!
Thou True North, strong and free!

Refrain
O Canada! O Canada! etc.

O Canada! Beneath thy shining skies
May stalwart sons and gentle maidens rise,
To keep thee steadfast through the years
From East to Western Sea,
Our own beloved native land!
Our True North, strong and free!

Refrain
O Canada! O Canada! etc.

Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer,
Hold our dominion within thy loving care;
Help us to find, O God, in thee
A lasting, rich reward,
As waiting for the Better Day,
We ever stand on guard.

Refrain
O Canada! O Canada! etc."
James Morton
1100-5255 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6P4

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