Dedication To Joseph Mazzini



Take, since you bade it should bear,
  These, of the seed of your sowing,
     Blossom or berry or weed.
Sweet though they be not, or fair,
  That the dew of your word kept growing,
     Sweet at least was the seed.

Men bring you love-offerings of tears,
  And sorrow the kiss that assuages,
     And slaves the hate-offering of wrongs,
And time the thanksgiving of years,
  And years the thanksgiving of ages;
     I bring you my handful of songs.

If a perfume be left, if a bloom,
  Let it live till Italia be risen,
     To be strewn in the dust of her car
When her voice shall awake from the tomb
  England, and France from her prison,
     Sisters, a star by a star.

I bring you the sword of a song,
  The sword of my spirit's desire,
     Feeble; but laid at your feet,
That which was weak shall be strong,
  That which was cold shall take fire,
     That which was bitter be sweet.

It was wrought not with hands to smite,
  Nor hewn after swordsmiths' fashion,
     Nor tempered on anvil of steel;
But with visions and dreams of the night,
  But with hope, and the patience of passion,
     And the signet of love for a seal.

Be it witness, till one more strong,
  Till a loftier lyre, till a rarer
     Lute praise her better than I,
Be it witness before you, my song,
  That I knew her, the world's banner-bearer,
     Who shall cry the republican cry.

Yea, even she as at first,
  Yea, she alone and none other,
     Shall cast down, shall build up, shall bring home;
Slake earth's hunger and thirst,
  Lighten, and lead as a mother;
     First name of the world's names, Rome.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:26 min read
79

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCABC DDEXXE FGHFGH IJKIJK CGLXGL IJMIJM NJONJO
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,554
Words 285
Stanzas 7
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6

Algernon Charles Swinburne

Algernon Charles Swinburne was an English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic. He wrote several novels and collections of poetry such as Poems and Ballads, and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. Swinburne wrote about many taboo topics, such as lesbianism, cannibalism, sado-masochism, and anti-theism. His poems have many common motifs, such as the ocean, time, and death. Several historical people are featured in his poems, such as Sappho ("Sapphics"), Anactoria ("Anactoria"), Jesus ("Hymn to Proserpine": Galilaee, La. "Galilean") and Catullus ("To Catullus"). more…

All Algernon Charles Swinburne poems | Algernon Charles Swinburne Books

1 fan

Discuss the poem Dedication To Joseph Mazzini with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Dedication To Joseph Mazzini" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/1304/dedication-to-joseph-mazzini>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    2
    hours
    52
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    "Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe."
    A Lewis Carroll
    B Dr. Seuss
    C Lord Byron
    D Shel Silverstein