"Who are born of thee"

[imchongjun]

Hi.
I have a question about the following famous verse.

Land of Hope and Glory,
Mother of the Free,
How shall we extol thee,
Who are born of thee?

Why does it say "Who ARE born..."? Shouldn't it be "Who WERE born..."?
Or doesn't it make any difference in this case whether you use the past tense or the present tense?

 

[lauralie2]

To be 'born of' refers to rebirth, renewal, and regeneration, as in "We art reborn of God", meaning renewed or regenerated by God's Spirit.

 

[imchongjun]

Thank you for your comment. That makes sense.