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. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...MONADNOCK IN EARLY SPRING by AMY LOWELL BREAK OF DAY IN THE TRENCHES by ISAAC ROSENBERG THE LOVE OF GOD by ELIZA SCUDDER DIRGE FOR TWO VETERANS by WALT WHITMAN THE CASE OF ALBERT IRVING WILLIAMSON by FRANKLIN PIERCE ADAMS |