A New National Anthem
God prosper, speed,and save,God raise from England's graveHer murdered Queen!Pave with swift victoryThe steps of Liberty,Whom Britons own to beImmortal Queen.
See, she comes throned on high,On swift Eternity!God save the Queen!Millions on millions wait,Firm, rapid, and elate,On her majestic state!God save the Queen!
She is Thine own pure soulMoulding the mighty whole,--God save the Queen!She is Thine own deep loveRained down from Heaven above,--Wherever she rest or move,God save our Queen!
'Wilder her enemiesIn their own dark disguise,--God save our Queen!All earthly things that dareHer sacred name to bear,Strip them, as kings are, bare;God save the Queen!
Be her eternal throneBuilt in our hearts alone--God save the Queen!Let the oppressor holdCanopied seats of gold;She sits enthroned of oldO'er our hearts Queen.
Lips touched by seraphimBreathe out the choral hymn'God save the Queen!'Sweet as if angels sang,Loud as that trumpet's clangWakening the world's dead gang,--God save the Queen!
Words in this poem
- prosper v. t.
- To favor; to render successful. [F. prospérer v. i., or L. prosperare, v. i., or L. prosperare, v. t., fr. prosper or prosperus. See Prosperous.]
- pave n.
- The pavement. Nymphe du pavé ([A low euphemism.] [F., from paver to pave. See Pave.]
- elate a.
- Lifted up; raised; elevated. [L. elatus elevated, fig., elated, proud (the figure, perh., being borrowed from a prancing horse); e out + latus (used as p. p. of ferre to bear), for tlatus, a]
- moulding n.
- The act or process of shaping in or on a mold, or of making molds; the art or occupation of a molder.
- wherever adv.
- At or in whatever place; wheresoever.
- oppressor n.
- One who oppresses; one who imposes unjust burdens on others; one who harasses others with unjust laws or unreasonable severity. [L.]
- seraphim n.
- The Hebrew plural of Seraph. Cf. Cherubim.
- choral a.
- Of or pertaining to a choir or chorus; singing, sung, or adapted to be sung, in chorus or harmony. Choral service, a service of song. [LL. choralis, fr. L. chorus. See Chorus.]
- clang v. t.
- To strike together so as to produce a ringing metallic sound. [L. clangere; akin to Gr. clank.]
- wakening n.
- The act of one who wakens; esp., the act of ceasing to sleep; an awakening.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
A New National Anthem is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Complete Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley — Volume 2, Project Gutenberg ebook #4798; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Percy Bysshe Shelley, A New National Anthem, in The Complete Poetical Works, Volume II (1816–1819), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #4798, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/shelley-later-poems/a-new-national-anthem.html, id L16352.
Form and metre
A New National Anthem is 42 lines in 6 stanzas of 7 lines each. The rhyme scheme is AABCCCB, complete in 3 of its 6 stanzas. The metre is iambic trimeter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%). 93% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 5.6 syllables. 5 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 31% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic trimeter.
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 AAB---B saveA · graveA · queenB · victory · liberty · be · queenB
- 2 --ABBBA high · eternity · queenA · waitB · elateB · stateB · queenA
- 3 AABCCCB soulA · wholeA · queenB · loveC · aboveC · moveC · queenB
- 4 AABCCCB enemiesA · disguiseA · queenB · dareC · bearC · bareC · queenB
- 5 AABCCCB throneA · aloneA · queenB · holdC · goldC · oldC · queenB
- 6 --ABBBA seraphim · hymn · queenA · sangB · clangB · gangB · queenA
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 trimeter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| God prosper, speed,and save, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| God raise from England's grave | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Her murdered Queen! | 4 | ·/˘· |
| Pave with swift victory | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| The steps of Liberty, | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| Whom Britons own to be | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Immortal Queen. | 4 | ˘/˘· |
| See, she comes throned on high, | 6 | ······ |
| On swift Eternity! | 6 | ··˘/˘˘ |
| God save the Queen! | 4 | ···· |
| Millions on millions wait, | 6 | /˘·/˘· |
| Firm, rapid, and elate, | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| On her majestic state! | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| God save the Queen! | 4 | ···· |
| She is Thine own pure soul | 6 | ······ |
| Moulding the mighty whole,-- | 6 | /˘·/˘· |
| God save the Queen! | 4 | ···· |
| She is Thine own deep love | 6 | ······ |
| Rained down from Heaven above,-- | 7 | ···/˘·· |
| Wherever she rest or move, | 7 | ˘/˘···· |
| God save our Queen! | 5 | ··/˘· |
| 'Wilder her enemies | 6 | /˘·/˘˘ |
| In their own dark disguise,-- | 6 | ····˘/ |
| God save our Queen! | 5 | ··/˘· |
| All earthly things that dare | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Her sacred name to bear, | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| Strip them, as kings are, bare; | 6 | ······ |
| God save the Queen! | 4 | ···· |
| Be her eternal throne | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| Built in our hearts alone-- | 7 | ··/˘·˘/ |
| God save the Queen! | 4 | ···· |
| Let the oppressor hold | 6 | ··˘/˘· |
| Canopied seats of gold; | 5 | ····· |
| She sits enthroned of old | 6 | ······ |
| O'er our hearts Queen. | 5 | ·/˘·· |
| Lips touched by seraphim | 6 | ···/˘˘ |
| Breathe out the choral hymn | 6 | ···/˘· |
| 'God save the Queen!' | 4 | ···· |
| Sweet as if angels sang, | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Loud as that trumpet's clang | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Wakening the world's dead gang,-- | 7 | /˘˘···· |
| God save the Queen! | 4 | ···· |
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.