The Right Honourable Edmund Burke
Why mourns the ingenuous Moralist, whose mindScience has stored, and Piety refined,That fading Chivalry displays no moreHer pomp and stately tournaments of yore!Lo! when Philosophy and Truth advance,Scared at their frown, she drops her glittering lance;Round her reft castles the pale ivy crawls,And sunk and silent are her bannered halls!As when far off the golden evening sails,And slowly sink the fancy-painted vales,With rich pavilions spread in long array;So rolls the enchanter's radiant realm away;So on the sight the parting glories fade,The gorgeous vision sets in endless shade.But shall the musing mind for this lament,Or mourn the wizard's Gothic fabric rent!Shall he, with Fancy's poor and pensive child,Gaze on his shadowy vales, and prospects wild,With lingering love, and sighing bid farewellTo the dim pictures of his parting spell!No, BURKE! thy heart, by juster feelings led,Mourns for the spirit of high Honour fled;Mourns that Philosophy, abstract and cold,Withering should smite life's fancy-flowered mould;And many a smiling sympathy depart,That graced the sternness of the manly heart.Nor shall the wise and virtuous scan severeThese fair illusions, ev'n to nature dear.Though now no more proud Chivalry recallsHer tourneys bright, and pealing festivals;Though now on high her idle spear is hung,Though Time her mouldering harp has half unstrung;Her milder influence shall she still impart,To decorate, but not disguise, the heart;To nurse the tender sympathies that playIn the short sunshine of life's early way;For female worth and meekness to inspireHomage and love, and temper rude desire;Nor seldom with sweet dreams sad thoughts to cheer,And half beguile affliction of her tear!Lo! this her boast; and still, O BURKE! be thineHer glowing hues that warm, yet tempered shine;Whilst whispers bland, and fairest dreams, attendThy evening path, till the last shade descend!So may she soothe, with loftier wisdom's aid,Thy musing leisure in the silent shade,And bid poor Fancy, her cold pinions wet,Life's cloudy skies and beating showers forget.But can her fairest form, her sweetest song,Soothe thee, assailed by calumny and wrong!Ev'n now thy foes with louder accents cry:Champion of unrelenting tyranny,At Freedom hast thou aimed the deadly blow,And striven with impious arm to lay her altars low!No, BURKE! indignant at the voice we start:We trust thy liberal views, thy generous heart;We think of those who, naked, pale, and poor,Relieved and blessed, have wandered from thy door;We see thee with unwearied step exploreEach track of bloodshed on the farthest shoreOf injured Asia, and thy swelling breastHarrowing the oppressor, mourning for the oppressed,No, BURKE! where'er Injustice rears her head,Where'er with blood her idol grim is fed;Where'er fell Cruelty, at her command,With crimson banner marches through the land,And striding, like a giant, onward hies,Whilst man, a trodden worm, looks up, and dies;Where'er pale Murder in her train appears,With reeking axe, and garments wet with tears;Or, lowering Jealousy, unmoved as Fate,Bars fast the prison-cage's iron gateUpon the buried sorrows and the criesOf him who there, lost and forgotten, lies;--When ministers like these, in fearful state,Upon a bloody tyrant's bidding wait,Thou too shalt own (and Justice lift her rod)The cause of Freedom is the cause of GOD!Fair spirit, who dost rise in beauteous pride,Where proud Oppression hath thine arm defied!When led by Virtue thou dost firm advance,And bathe in Guilt's warm blood thy burning lance;When all thy form its awful port assumes,And in the tempest shake thy crimson plumes,I mark thy lofty mien, thy steady eye,So fall thy foes! with tears of joy I cry.But ne'er may Anarchy, with eyes a-flame,And mien distract, assume thy awful name;Her pale torch sheds afar its hideous glare,And shows the blood-drops in her dabbled hair;The fiends of discord hear her hollow voice,The spirits of the deathful storm rejoice:As when the rising blast with muttering sweepSounds 'mid the branches of the forest deep,The sad horizon lowers, the parting sunIs hid, strange murmurs through the high wood run,The falcon wheels away his mournful flight,And leaves the glens to solitude and night;Till soon the hurricane, in dismal shroud,Comes fearful forth, and sounds her conch aloud;The oak majestic bows his hoary head,And ruin round his ancient reign is spread:So the dark fiend, rejoicing in her might,Pours desolation and the storm of night;Before her dread career the good and justFly far, or sink expiring in the dust;Wide wastes and mighty wrecks around her lie,And the earth trembles at her impious cry!Whether her temple, wet with human gore,She thus may raise on Gallia's ravaged shore,Belongs to HIM alone, and His high will,Who bids the tempests of the world be still.With joy we turn to Albion's happier plain,Where ancient Freedom holds her temperate reign;Where Justice sits majestic on her throne;Where Mercy turns her ear to every groan.O Albion! fairest isle, whose verdant plainSprings beauteous from the blue and billowy main;In peaceful pomp whose glittering cities rise,And lift their crowded temples to the skies;Whose navy on the broad brine awful rolls;Whose commerce glows beneath the distant poles;Whose streams reflect full many an Attic pile;Whose velvet lawns in long luxuriance smile;Amid whose winding coombs contentment dwells,Whose vales rejoice to hear the Sabbath bells;Whose humblest shed, that steady laws protect,The villager with woodbine bowers hath decked!Sweet native land, whose every haunt is dear,Whose every gale is music to mine ear;Amidst whose hills one poor retreat I sought,Where I might sometimes hide a saddening thought,And having wandered far, and marked mankindIn their vain mask, might rest and safety find:Oh! still may Freedom, with majestic mien,Pacing thy rocks and the green vales, be seen;Around thy cliffs, that glitter o'er the main,May smiling Order wind her silver chain;Whilst from thy calm abodes, and azure skies,Far off the fiend of Discord murmuring flies!To him who firm thy injured cause has fought,This humble offering, lo! the Muse has brought;Nor heed thou, BURKE, if, with averted eye,Scowling, cold Envy may thy worth decry!It is the lot of man:--the best oft mourn,As sad they journey through this cloudy bourne:If conscious Genius stamp their chosen breast,And on the forehead show her seal impressed,Perhaps they mourn, in bleak Misfortune's shade,Their age and cares with penury repaid;Their errors deeply scanned, their worth forgot,Or marked by hard injustice with a blot.If high they soar, and keep their distant way,And spread their ample pinions to the day,Malignant Faction hears with hate their name,And all her tongues are busy with their fame.But 'tis enough to hold, as best we may,Our destined track, till sets the closing day;Whether with living lustre we adornOur high sphere, like the radiance of the morn;Or whether silent in the shade we move,Cheered by the lonely star of pensive love;Or whether wild opposing storms we stem,Panting for Virtue's distant diadem;'Tis the unshaken mind, the conscience pure,That bids us firmly act, meekly endure;'Tis this may shield us when the storm beats hard,Content, though poor, had we no other guard!
These lines were written before the murder of the late King ofFrance, and many of the events of horror which have since taken place inthat miserable country.
Words in this poem 55
- ingenuous a.
- Of honorable extraction; freeborn; noble; as, ingenuous blood of birth. [L. ingenuus inborn, innate, freeborn, noble, frank; pref. in- in + the root of gignere to beget. See Genius, and cf. Ingenious.]
- moralist n.
- One who moralizes; one who teaches or animadverts upon the duties of life; a writer of essays intended to correct vice and inculcate moral duties. [Cf. F. moraliste.]
- fading n.
- An Irish dance; also, the burden of a song.
- yore adv.
- In time long past; in old time; long since. [OE. , yare, , AS. geára;akin to geár a year, E. year. Year.]
- reft n.
- A chink; a rift. See Rift. Rom. of R.
- bannered a.
- Decorated with a banner or banners
- gorgeous a.
- Imposing through splendid or various colors; showy; fine; magnificent. [OF. gorgias beautiful, glorious, vain, luxurious; cf. OF. gorgias ruff, neck handkerchief, and F. gorge throat, and se pengorger to assume airs. Cf. Gorge, n.]
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- honour n.
- Esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation; respect; consideration; reverence; veneration; manifestation of respect or reverence. [OE. honor, honour, onour, onur, OF. honor, onor, honur, onur, honour, onour, F. honneur, fr. L. honor, honos.]
- withering a.
- Tending to wither; causing to shrink or fade.
- mould n.
- Crumbling, soft, friable earth; esp., earth containing the remains or constituents of organic matter, and suited to the growth of plants; soil. [OE. molde, AS. molde; akin to D. mul, G. mull, mulm, OHG. molt, molta, Icel. mold, Dan. muld, Sw. mull, Goth. mulda, and E. meal flour. See Meal, and cf. Mole a]
- depart v. i.
- To part; to divide; to separate. [OE. departen to divide, part, depart, F. départir to divide, distribute, se départir to separate one's self, depart; pref. dé- (L. de) + partir to part, depart,]
- graced a.
- Endowed with grace; beautiful; full of graces; honorable.
- sternness n.
- The quality or state of being stern.
- virtuous a.
- Possessing or exhibiting virtue. Specifically: -- (a) Exhibiting manly courage and strength; valorous; valiant; brave. [OE. vertuous, OF. vertuos, vertuous, F. vertueux, fr. L. Virtuous. See Virtue, and cf. Virtuoso.]
- scan v. t.
- To mount by steps; to go through with step by step. [L. scandere, scansum, to climb, to scan, akin to Skr. skand to spring, leap: cf. F. scander. Cf. Ascend, Descend, Scale a ladder.]
- sunshine n.
- The light of the sun, or the place where it shines; the direct rays of the sun, the place where they fall, or the warmth and light which they give.
- meekness n.
- The quality or state of being meek.
- soothe v. t.
- To assent to as true. Testament of Love. [Originally, to assent to as true; OE. so to verify, AS. ges to prove the truth of, to bear witness. See Sooth, a.]
- unrelenting a.
- Not relenting; unyielding; rigid; hard; stern; cruel.
- hast
- , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
- indignant a.
- Affected with indignation; wrathful; passionate; irate; feeling wrath, as when a person is exasperated by unworthy or unjust treatment, by a mean action, or by a degrading accusation. [L. indignans, -antis, p. pr. of indignari to be indignant, disdain. See Indign.]
- generous a.
- Of honorable birth or origin; highborn. [F. généreux, fr. L. generous of noble birth, noble, excellent, magnanimous, fr. genus birth, race: cf. It. generoso. See 2d Gender.]
- unwearied a.
- Not wearied; not fatigued or tired; hence, persistent; not tiring or wearying; indefatigable.
- explore v. t.
- To seek for or after; to strive to attain by search; to look wisely and carefully for. [L. explorare to explore; ex out+plorare to cry out aloud,prob. orig., to cause to flow; perh. akin to E. flow: cf. F. explorer.]
- oppressor n.
- One who oppresses; one who imposes unjust burdens on others; one who harasses others with unjust laws or unreasonable severity. [L.]
- idol n.
- An image or representation of anything. [OE. idole, F. idole, L. idolum, fr. Gr. Wit, and cf. Eidolon.]
- unmoved a.
- Not moved; fixed; firm; unshaken; calm; apathetic.
- shalt
- 2d per. sing. of Shall.
- beauteous a.
- Full of beauty; beautiful; very handsome. [Mostly poetic] -- Beau"te*ous*ly, adv. --
- distract a.
- Separated; drawn asunder. [L. distractus, p. p. of distrahere to draw asunder; dis- + trahere to draw. See Trace, and cf. Distraught.]
- afar adv.
- At, to, or from a great distance; far away; -- often used with from preceding, or off following; as, he was seen from afar; I saw him afar off. [Pref. a-.(for on or of) + far.]
- glare v. i.
- To shine with a bright, dazzling light. [OE. glaren, gloren; cf. AS. glær amber, LG. glaren to glow or burn like coals, D. gloren to glimmer; prob. akin to E. glass.]
- deathful a.
- Full of death or slaughter; murderous; destructive; bloody.
- dismal a.
- Fatal; ill-omened; unlucky. [Formerly a noun; e. g., "I trow it was in the dismalle." Chaucer. Of uncertain origin; but perh. (as suggested by Skeat) from OF. disme, F. dîme, tithe, the phr]
- aloud adv.
- With a loud voice, or great noise; loudly; audibly. [Pref. a- + loud.]
- hoary a.
- White or whitish."The hoary willows."
- desolation n.
- The act of desolating or laying waste; destruction of inhabitants; depopulation. [F. désolation, L. desolatio.]
- career n.
- A race course: the ground run over. [F. carrière race course, high road, street, fr. L. carrus wagon. See Car.]
- expiring a.
- Breathing out air from the lungs; emitting fluid or volatile matter; exhaling; breathing the last breath; dying; ending; terminating.
- albion n.
- An ancient name of England, still retained in poetry. [Prob. from the same root as Gael. alp a height or hill. "It may have been bestowed on the land lying behind the white cliffs visible from the coast of Gaul. Alb]
- isle v. t.
- To cause to become an island, or like an island; to surround or encompass; to island.
- billowy a.
- Of or pertaining to billows; swelling or swollen into large waves; full of billows or surges; resembling billows.
- luxuriance n.
- The state or quality of being luxuriant; rank, vigorous growth; excessive abundance produced by rank growth. [Cf. F. luxuriance.]
- amid prep.
- In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
- villager n.
- An inhabitant of a village.
- amidst prep.
- In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
- averted a.
- Turned away, esp. as an expression of feeling; also, offended; unpropitious.
- decry v. t.
- To cry down; to censure as faulty, mean, or worthless; to clamor against; to blame clamorously; to discredit; to disparage. [F. décrier, OF. descrier; pref. des- (L. dis-) + crier to cry. See Cry, and cf. Descry.]
- bourne n.
- A stream or rivulet; a burn. [OE. burne, borne, AS. burna; akin to OS. brunno spring, G. born, brunnen, OHG. prunno, Goth. brunna, Icel. brunnr, and perh. to Gr. burn, v., because the source]
- penury n.
- Absence of resources; want; privation; indigence; extreme poverty; destitution. [L. penuria; cf. Gr. pénurie.]
- lustre n.
- A period of five years; a lustrum. [L. lustrum: cf. F. lustre.]
- morn n.
- The first part of the day; the morning; -- used chiefly in poetry. [OE. morwen, morgen, AS. morgen; akin to D. morgen, OS. morgan, G. morgen, Icel. morginn, morgunn, Sw. morgon, Dan. morgen, Goth. maúrgins. Cf. Morrow, Morning.]
- conscience n.
- Knowledge of one's own thoughts or actions; consciousness. [F. conscience, fr. L. conscientia, fr. consciens, p.pr. of conscire to know, to be conscious; con- + scire to know. See Science.]
- meekly adv.
- In a meek manner.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Right Honourable Edmund Burke is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poetical Works of William Lisle Bowles, Vol. 1 With Memoir, Critical Dissertation, and Explanatory Notes by George Gilfillan, Project Gutenberg ebook #18915; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: William Lisle Bowles, The Right Honourable Edmund Burke, in Sonnets, and Other Poems (1789–1837), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #18915, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/bowles-sonnets/the-right-honourable-edmund-burke.html, id L09929.
Form and metre
The Right Honourable Edmund Burke is 171 lines in 2 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 94% of the lines: heroic couplets. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 88%). 94% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 10.2 syllables. 4 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 13% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in heroic couplets, other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMMNNOOPPQQRR--SSTTUUVVWWXX--YYZZ-aaabbccddee--ffggffhhiijjkkllmmnnooppqqrrssttuuvvwwxxyyzzAAzzBBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMMNNOOPPQQRRSSTTSSUUVVWWXXYY mindA · refinedA · moreB · yoreB · advanceC · lanceC · crawlsD · hallsD · sailsE · valesE · arrayF · awayF · fadeG · shadeG · lamentH · rentH · childI · wildI · farewellJ · spellJ · ledK · fledK · coldL · mouldL · departM · heartM · severeN · dearN · recallsO · festivalsO · hungP · unstrungP · impartQ · heartQ · playR · wayR · inspire · desire · cheerS · tearS · thineT · shineT · attendU · descendU · aidV · shadeV · wetW · forgetW · songX · wrongX · cry · tyranny · blowY · lowY · startZ · heartZ · poor · doora · explorea · shorea · breastb · oppressedb · headc · fedc · commandd · landd · hiese · diese · appears · tears · fatef · gatef · criesg · liesg · statef · waitf · rodh · godh · pridei · defiedi · advancej · lancej · assumesk · plumesk · eyel · cryl · flamem · namem · glaren · hairn · voiceo · rejoiceo · sweepp · deepp · sunq · runq · flightr · nightr · shrouds · alouds · headt · spreadt · mightu · nightu · justv · dustv · liew · cryw · gorex · shorex · willy · stilly · plainz · reignz · throneA · groanA · plainz · mainz · riseB · skiesB · rollsC · polesC · pileD · smileD · dwellsE · bellsE · protectF · deckedF · dearG · earG · soughtH · thoughtH · mankindI · findI · mienJ · seenJ · mainK · chainK · skiesL · fliesL · foughtM · broughtM · eyeN · decryN · mournO · bourneO · breastP · impressedP · shadeQ · repaidQ · forgotR · blotR · wayS · dayS · nameT · fameT · mayS · dayS · adornU · mornU · moveV · loveV · stemW · diademW · pureX · endureX · hardY · guardY
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Why mourns the ingenuous Moralist, whose mind | 10 | ···˘/˘/˘·· |
| Science has stored, and Piety refined, | 10 | /˘···/˘˘˘/ |
| That fading Chivalry displays no more | 10 | ·/˘/˘˘˘/·· |
| Her pomp and stately tournaments of yore! | 10 | ···/˘/˘˘·· |
| Lo! when Philosophy and Truth advance, | 10 | ··˘/˘˘··˘/ |
| Scared at their frown, she drops her glittering lance; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Round her reft castles the pale ivy crawls, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| And sunk and silent are her bannered halls! | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| As when far off the golden evening sails, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| And slowly sink the fancy-painted vales, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| With rich pavilions spread in long array; | 10 | ··˘/˘···˘/ |
| So rolls the enchanter's radiant realm away; | 11 | ···˘/˘/˘·˘/ |
| So on the sight the parting glories fade, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| The gorgeous vision sets in endless shade. | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| But shall the musing mind for this lament, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Or mourn the wizard's Gothic fabric rent! | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘· |
| Shall he, with Fancy's poor and pensive child, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Gaze on his shadowy vales, and prospects wild, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| With lingering love, and sighing bid farewell | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··/ |
| To the dim pictures of his parting spell! | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| No, BURKE! thy heart, by juster feelings led, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Mourns for the spirit of high Honour fled; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Mourns that Philosophy, abstract and cold, | 10 | ··˘/˘˘˘/·· |
| Withering should smite life's fancy-flowered mould; | 10 | /˘˘···/˘/· |
| And many a smiling sympathy depart, | 10 | ·/·/˘/˘˘˘/ |
| That graced the sternness of the manly heart. | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Nor shall the wise and virtuous scan severe | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| These fair illusions, ev'n to nature dear. | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| Though now no more proud Chivalry recalls | 10 | ·····/˘˘˘/ |
| Her tourneys bright, and pealing festivals; | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘˘ |
| Though now on high her idle spear is hung, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Though Time her mouldering harp has half unstrung; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Her milder influence shall she still impart, | 10 | ·//˘˘···˘/ |
| To decorate, but not disguise, the heart; | 10 | ·/˘···˘/·· |
| To nurse the tender sympathies that play | 10 | ···/˘/˘˘·· |
| In the short sunshine of life's early way; | 10 | ···/···/˘· |
| For female worth and meekness to inspire | 10 | ·/···/˘·˘/ |
| Homage and love, and temper rude desire; | 11 | /˘···/˘·˘/˘ |
| Nor seldom with sweet dreams sad thoughts to cheer, | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| And half beguile affliction of her tear! | 10 | ··˘/˘/˘··· |
| Lo! this her boast; and still, O BURKE! be thine | 10 | ·········· |
| Her glowing hues that warm, yet tempered shine; | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Whilst whispers bland, and fairest dreams, attend | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| Thy evening path, till the last shade descend! | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| So may she soothe, with loftier wisdom's aid, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Thy musing leisure in the silent shade, | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| And bid poor Fancy, her cold pinions wet, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Life's cloudy skies and beating showers forget. | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘/ |
| But can her fairest form, her sweetest song, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Soothe thee, assailed by calumny and wrong! | 10 | ··˘/·/˘˘·· |
| Ev'n now thy foes with louder accents cry: | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Champion of unrelenting tyranny, | 11 | /˘˘··˘/˘/˘˘ |
| At Freedom hast thou aimed the deadly blow, | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| And striven with impious arm to lay her altars low! | 14 | ·/˘·˘/˘····/˘· |
| No, BURKE! indignant at the voice we start: | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| We trust thy liberal views, thy generous heart; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| We think of those who, naked, pale, and poor, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Relieved and blessed, have wandered from thy door; | 10 | ˘/···/˘··· |
| We see thee with unwearied step explore | 10 | ····˘/˘·˘/ |
| Each track of bloodshed on the farthest shore | 10 | ···/···/˘· |
| Of injured Asia, and thy swelling breast | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Harrowing the oppressor, mourning for the oppressed, | 12 | /˘·˘/˘/˘··˘/ |
| No, BURKE! where'er Injustice rears her head, | 11 | ··˘˘/˘/˘··· |
| Where'er with blood her idol grim is fed; | 11 | ˘˘/···/˘··· |
| Where'er fell Cruelty, at her command, | 10 | ˘˘/·/˘··˘/ |
| With crimson banner marches through the land, | 10 | ·/˘/˘/˘··· |
| And striding, like a giant, onward hies, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| Whilst man, a trodden worm, looks up, and dies; | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Where'er pale Murder in her train appears, | 11 | ˘˘/·/˘···˘/ |
| With reeking axe, and garments wet with tears; | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Or, lowering Jealousy, unmoved as Fate, | 10 | ·/˘/˘˘˘/·· |
| Bars fast the prison-cage's iron gate | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘· |
| Upon the buried sorrows and the cries | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Of him who there, lost and forgotten, lies;-- | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| When ministers like these, in fearful state, | 10 | ·/˘˘···/˘· |
| Upon a bloody tyrant's bidding wait, | 10 | ···/˘/˘/˘· |
| Thou too shalt own (and Justice lift her rod) | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| The cause of Freedom is the cause of GOD! | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Fair spirit, who dost rise in beauteous pride, | 10 | ·/····/˘˘· |
| Where proud Oppression hath thine arm defied! | 10 | ··˘/˘···˘/ |
| When led by Virtue thou dost firm advance, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| And bathe in Guilt's warm blood thy burning lance; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| When all thy form its awful port assumes, | 10 | ·····/˘·˘/ |
| And in the tempest shake thy crimson plumes, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| I mark thy lofty mien, thy steady eye, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| So fall thy foes! with tears of joy I cry. | 10 | ·········· |
| But ne'er may Anarchy, with eyes a-flame, | 10 | ···/˘˘···· |
| And mien distract, assume thy awful name; | 10 | ··˘/˘/·/˘· |
| Her pale torch sheds afar its hideous glare, | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| And shows the blood-drops in her dabbled hair; | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| The fiends of discord hear her hollow voice, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| The spirits of the deathful storm rejoice: | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| As when the rising blast with muttering sweep | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Sounds 'mid the branches of the forest deep, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| The sad horizon lowers, the parting sun | 11 | ··˘/˘/˘·/˘· |
| Is hid, strange murmurs through the high wood run, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| The falcon wheels away his mournful flight, | 10 | ·/˘·˘/·/˘· |
| And leaves the glens to solitude and night; | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Till soon the hurricane, in dismal shroud, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Comes fearful forth, and sounds her conch aloud; | 10 | ·/˘·····˘/ |
| The oak majestic bows his hoary head, | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| And ruin round his ancient reign is spread: | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| So the dark fiend, rejoicing in her might, | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| Pours desolation and the storm of night; | 10 | ··˘/˘····· |
| Before her dread career the good and just | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| Fly far, or sink expiring in the dust; | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| Wide wastes and mighty wrecks around her lie, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| And the earth trembles at her impious cry! | 11 | ···/˘··˘/˘· |
| Whether her temple, wet with human gore, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| She thus may raise on Gallia's ravaged shore, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Belongs to HIM alone, and His high will, | 10 | ˘/··˘/···· |
| Who bids the tempests of the world be still. | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| With joy we turn to Albion's happier plain, | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| Where ancient Freedom holds her temperate reign; | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Where Justice sits majestic on her throne; | 10 | ·/˘·˘/˘··· |
| Where Mercy turns her ear to every groan. | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| O Albion! fairest isle, whose verdant plain | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Springs beauteous from the blue and billowy main; | 12 | ·/˘˘····/˘˘· |
| In peaceful pomp whose glittering cities rise, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘/˘· |
| And lift their crowded temples to the skies; | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Whose navy on the broad brine awful rolls; | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Whose commerce glows beneath the distant poles; | 10 | ·/˘····/˘· |
| Whose streams reflect full many an Attic pile; | 10 | ··˘/·/·/˘· |
| Whose velvet lawns in long luxuriance smile; | 11 | ·/˘···˘/˘˘· |
| Amid whose winding coombs contentment dwells, | 10 | ˘/·/˘·˘/˘· |
| Whose vales rejoice to hear the Sabbath bells; | 10 | ··˘/···/˘· |
| Whose humblest shed, that steady laws protect, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘·˘/ |
| The villager with woodbine bowers hath decked! | 10 | ·/˘˘·/˘/·· |
| Sweet native land, whose every haunt is dear, | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Whose every gale is music to mine ear; | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Amidst whose hills one poor retreat I sought, | 10 | ˘/····˘/·· |
| Where I might sometimes hide a saddening thought, | 10 | ···/···/˘· |
| And having wandered far, and marked mankind | 10 | ·/˘/˘···// |
| In their vain mask, might rest and safety find: | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| Oh! still may Freedom, with majestic mien, | 10 | ···/˘·˘/˘· |
| Pacing thy rocks and the green vales, be seen; | 10 | /˘········ |
| Around thy cliffs, that glitter o'er the main, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| May smiling Order wind her silver chain; | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| Whilst from thy calm abodes, and azure skies, | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| Far off the fiend of Discord murmuring flies! | 10 | ·····/˘/˘· |
| To him who firm thy injured cause has fought, | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| This humble offering, lo! the Muse has brought; | 10 | ·/˘/˘····· |
| Nor heed thou, BURKE, if, with averted eye, | 10 | ······˘/˘· |
| Scowling, cold Envy may thy worth decry! | 10 | /˘·/˘···˘/ |
| It is the lot of man:--the best oft mourn, | 10 | ·········· |
| As sad they journey through this cloudy bourne: | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| If conscious Genius stamp their chosen breast, | 10 | ·/˘/˘··/˘· |
| And on the forehead show her seal impressed, | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Perhaps they mourn, in bleak Misfortune's shade, | 10 | ˘/····˘/˘· |
| Their age and cares with penury repaid; | 10 | ·····/˘˘˘/ |
| Their errors deeply scanned, their worth forgot, | 10 | ·/˘/˘···˘/ |
| Or marked by hard injustice with a blot. | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| If high they soar, and keep their distant way, | 10 | ·······/˘· |
| And spread their ample pinions to the day, | 10 | ···/˘/˘··· |
| Malignant Faction hears with hate their name, | 10 | ˘/˘/˘····· |
| And all her tongues are busy with their fame. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| But 'tis enough to hold, as best we may, | 10 | ··˘/······ |
| Our destined track, till sets the closing day; | 10 | //˘····/˘· |
| Whether with living lustre we adorn | 10 | ···/˘/˘·˘/ |
| Our high sphere, like the radiance of the morn; | 10 | /····/˘··· |
| Or whether silent in the shade we move, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Cheered by the lonely star of pensive love; | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Or whether wild opposing storms we stem, | 10 | ····˘/˘··· |
| Panting for Virtue's distant diadem; | 10 | /˘·/˘/˘/˘· |
| 'Tis the unshaken mind, the conscience pure, | 10 | ··˘/˘··/˘· |
| That bids us firmly act, meekly endure; | 10 | ···/˘·/˘˘/ |
| 'Tis this may shield us when the storm beats hard, | 10 | ·········· |
| Content, though poor, had we no other guard! | 10 | ˘/·····/˘· |
| These lines were written before the murder of the late King of | 15 | ···/˘···/˘····· |
| France, and many of the events of horror which have since taken place in | 17 | ··/··˘/·/˘···/˘·· |
| that miserable country. | 7 | ·/˘˘˘/˘ |
Notes from the edition 2
Bowles's own notes to his Poetical Works (Project Gutenberg #18915).
- Stanza 1, line 112 These lines were written before the murder of the late King of France, and many of the events of horror which have since taken place in that miserable country.
- Stanza 1, line 168 Milton.
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.