Song

Charles Harpur 1813 (Windsor) – 1868 (Australia)



THE world's heart is kindless and grey and unholy,
   As the head of the wandering Jew,
And can never be won from the cause of its folly
   Till man to Humanity’s true;
There’s a path to redemption—but that we shall miss
   While we seek in the old warring manner;
Till we re ready to fight a new battle for this—
   The motto inscribed on our banner,—
To principles let us by loyal alway,
   And true to all good in man’s story;
Not to that mockery, royal display,
   Nor that Juggernaut, national glory!
And though ever someone, to be doughty and noted,
   Like Nimrod, should aim at a throne,
It were easy to leave him a wight unpromoted,
   To brood o’er his project alone!
Or to meet him at once with a withering hiss,
   For we love not ambition’s old manner,
We are fired for a new race of glory with this—
   The motto inscribed on our banner—
To principles let us by loyal alway,
   And true to all good in man’s story;
Not to that mockery, royal display,
   Nor that Juggernaut, national glory!

 

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

56 sec read
79

Quick analysis:

Scheme ababcdcDEAFAghghcdcDEAFA
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,035
Words 186
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 24

Charles Harpur

Charles Harpur was an Australian poet. more…

All Charles Harpur poems | Charles Harpur Books

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