English poem
On The Extinction Of The Venetian Republic
Composed August, 1802.--Published 1807
This and the following ten sonnets were included among the "Sonnets dedicated to Liberty"; re-named in 1845, "Poems dedicated to National Independence and Liberty."--Ed.
Once did She hold the gorgeous east in fee; And was the safeguard of the west: the worth Of Venice did not fall below her birth, Venice, the eldest Child of Liberty. She was a maiden City, bright and free; No guile seduced, no force could violate; And, when she took unto herself a Mate, She must espouse the everlasting Sea. [A] And what if she had seen those glories fade, Those titles vanish, and that strength decay; Yet shall some tribute of regret be paid When her long life hath reached its final day: Men are we, and must grieve when even the Shade Of that which once was great, is passed away.
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More by William Wordsworth
- On The Departure Of Sir Walter Scott From Abbotsford, For Naples
- On The Detraction Which Followed The Publication Of A Certain Poem
- On The Disinterment Of The Remains Of The Duke D'Enghien
- ON THE EXTINCTION OF THE VENETIAN REPUBLIC
- On The Extinction Of The Venetian Republic
- On The Final Submission Of The Tyrolese
- On The Frith Of Clyde - In A Steamboat
- On The Projected Kendal And Windermere Railway