On the Extinction of the Venetian Republic
William Wordsworth
Once did She hold the gorgeous east in fee; (A)
And was the safeguard of the west: the worth (B)
Of Venice did not fall below her birth, (B)
Venice, the eldest Child of Liberty. (A)
She was a maiden City, bright and free; (A)
No guile seduced, no force could violate; (C)
And, when she took unto herself a Mate, (C)
She must espouse the everlasting Sea. (A)
And what if she had seen those glories fade, (D)
Those titles vanish, and that strength decay; (E)
Yet shall some tribute of regret be paid (D)
When her long life hath reached its final day: (E)
Men are we, and must grieve when even the Shade (D)
Of that which once was great is passed away. (E)
Also read; Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold poem text