Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, TO THE QUEEN, by LETITIA ELIZABETH LANDON


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

TO THE QUEEN, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Within the page, oh, royal ladye! - seeking
Last Line: A nation breathes upon victoria's name!
Alternate Author Name(s): L. E. L.; Maclean, Letitia
Subject(s): Victoria, Queen Of England (1819-1901)


Within the page, oh, Royal Ladye! -- seeking
To win but one approving look of thine --
Are pictured shores where foreign waves are breaking;
And distant hills, where far-off planets shine:
And yet above them is thy rule extending --
The Himalaya mountains own thy sway;
The British flag is with the palm-trees blending,
By the Red Sea, where now we seek our way.

And mixed with these are English scenes and faces,
Our lovely rivers and our summer vales,
Haunted by names whose memory retraces
How moral conquest over time prevails.
Beside thee grows the laurel, from whose branches
Are gathered many wreaths to honour thee:
Victory, that o'er the deep its thunder launches --
The sage's meed -- the crown of poesie.

Our volume is a gallery, enshrining
The past and present of our native land.
Vast is the empire Providence assigning
Trusts to thy youthful and thy woman's hand.
Our English history has no hours more glorious
Than when a woman filled the island throne;
Elizabeth and Anne bequeathed victorious
Illustrious names, high omens of thine own.

The warrior, sage, and poet fill their story
With all the various honours of mankind; --
May thy young reign achieve yet truer glory,
The pure, enlightened triumphs of the mind!
Too much in this wide world yet needs redressing;
But with thy reign Hope's loveliest promise came.
May thy sweet youth be sheltered by the blessing
A nation breathes upon Victoria's name!





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