Don't ever say a word of ill
Against me or you'll face her scorn
No greater champion have I known
Since that autumn day when I was born

Silver hair is now her crown
And years of care have worn her brow
But in swift defense of all she loves
My mother's shield around me goes

No kinder heart on Earth exists
Who cares for old and nurses young
But those who lie and cheat and scam
Cannot be spared my mother's tongue

I never grasp why others sigh
Or why the mountains seem so close
When on any paths my feet can trod
My mother's spirit gives me hope

Over hostile lands into deepest seas
From least to greatest anywhere
No map can hide the things I need;
My mother's eyes will find them there

I pity children who only know
A mother's love that's shown through tears
Because death is mercy to all who weep
When my mother’s love is proved by fear

Though justice in this world e'er wanes
Though brave men shudder, cower, flee
I know as long as air I breathe
My mother's hands will fight for me

Burdens great and burdens small
May have beaten, broken most
But after every sting and pain and ache
My mother's back is too strong to break

So try your best to make me hurt
But mark the warning that these words give
To careless fools who may wish me dead:
My mother's wrath will have your heads

I pray for any who'd do me wrong
Because my father taught me so
But my prayers can offer little aid
As whomever harms me, my mother slays

My mother's love is deep and great
Giving her whole self, she never hates
Helping all who ask, taking pain to care
A better woman can be found nowhere

But make no mistake, lest I be unclear:
My mother's love is wise to fear.