The Winter of My Country Has Come (Long Shih Rome)

The winter of my country has come,
Like a thief in a quiet night,
And a crimson sky at the break of dawn.

The winter of my country has come,
To break the soil and freeze the running stream.
The man of history has come,
Awakening us from our restless dreams.

The winter of my country has come,
Even in the eye of a tropical storm,
A winter of broken wishes,
A winter of stolen rhymes.

The watchmen have left their posts,
The wolves are gathered at the gates,
Rumours of wars and twists of fate
Hamlet's dilemma: to act or contemplate.

Is there light after the darkest hour?
Can a good man be kept from the love for power,
Is that a sound of clashing empires?
Only God knows our deepest desires.

The winter of my country has come,
To a country ruined by broken dreams,
Like a horse caught in mid-stream.

And in the distances we hear
News that a great change is near,
From the land of the free
Like an arrow shot across the earth.
Trusting that, at the end of days,
There is nothing left but to praise
The Lord of Hosts who seek the good and the brave.