Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ENGLAND, by PERCY STICKNEY GRANT


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ENGLAND, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: England, thy foes make boast of thy decline
Last Line: And justice is a goddess still unbought.
Subject(s): England; Freedom; English; Liberty


England, thy foes make boast of thy decline;
Thy world-wide commerce slackens its old pace,
Thy sea-girt jewel holds a second place,
Now that our masters live along the Rhine,
No! Leadership in freedom still is thine.
Mazzini, Marx -- yes, Manuel, you embrace.
Prophets and kings, in exile, seek thy face
And live secure beneath thy sheltering vine.
If mind and merchants make a new race great,
That barters freedom for a tyrant's smile --
Then leap to studies; arm with conquering thought,
That nothing may destroy the only state
Where tyrants cannot reach or spies beguile
And justice is a goddess still unbought.





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