On The Extinction Of The Venetian Republic

William Wordsworth

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.
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.

Next 10 Poems

• William Wordsworth : Peter Bell, A Tale
• William Wordsworth : Pet-lamb, The: A Pastoral Poem
• William Wordsworth : Rainbow, The
• William Wordsworth : Remembrance Of Collins
• William Wordsworth : Resolution And Independence
• William Wordsworth : Reverie Of Poor Susan, The
• William Wordsworth : Rural Architecture
• William Wordsworth : Russian Fugitive, The
• William Wordsworth : Ruth
• William Wordsworth : Sailor's Mother, The

Previous 10 Poems

• William Wordsworth : On The Departure Of Sir Walter Scott From Abbotsford, For Naples
• William Wordsworth : Old Cumberland Beggar, The
• William Wordsworth : Ode: Intimations Of Immortality From Recollections Of Early Childhood
• William Wordsworth : Ode, On Intimations Of Immortality
• William Wordsworth : Ode, Composed On A May Morning
• William Wordsworth : Ode To Duty
• William Wordsworth : October, 1803
• William Wordsworth : Oak And The Broom, The: A Pastoral Poem
• William Wordsworth : Nutting
• William Wordsworth : November, 1806