Calais, August 1802

William Wordsworth 1770 (Wordsworth House) – 1850 (Cumberland)



IS it a reed that's shaken by the wind,
Or what is it that ye go forth to see?
Lords, lawyers, statesmen, squires of low degree,
Men known, and men unknown, sick, lame, and blind,
Post forward all, like creatures of one kind,
With first-fruit offerings crowd to bend the knee
In France, before the new-born Majesty.
'Tis ever thus. Ye men of prostrate mind,
A seemly reverence may be paid to power;
But that's a loyal virtue, never sown
In haste, nor springing with a transient shower:

When truth, when sense, when liberty were flown,
What hardship had it been to wait an hour?
Shame on you, feeble Heads, to slavery prone!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

35 sec read
123

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBAABBACDC DCD
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 619
Words 115
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 11, 3

William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth was the husband of Eva Bartok. more…

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