Gozo

Fertilis ab undis caput effero

This hard land that rises lazily above the waves
Hammered into hills and valleys by unknown gods
Covered in thorns and weeds of various shades
Peopled with folk of mystic provenance.

This gleaming island of Homerian lore
Teeming with legends of love and hate
A tired history of bewildered invaders
Who never quite took it all in.

This sacred land of tombs and churches
Saints and miracles, and votive offerings
Steadfast survivor in the gales of time
Which shake the weak, and sift the strong.

This is my land, the land of my ancestors
Who built the first temples on mother earth
Articulated stone into artful form
To praise the watching powers high above.

Left a heritage of worship that still lingers
And defines humanity above all else.