We gave a solemn pledge, and called on Heaven To hear; our arms, we swore, were Freedom's own, To Freedom consecrate, and her alone; Our valour sprung from her chaste bosom, given To Freedom's cause forever; and her levin We forged upon the footsteps of her throne; Her sword unclasping from her zone, She placed within our hands, and blessed us shriven. O solemn mockery of her holy trust! Our troth forgot and slaked our noble zeal, Our brittle honour shattered in the dust! A riotous people drunk with conquest's lust, In bacchanalian rout we onward reel, And 'gainst her turn her own ensanguined steel! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SONGS FOR TWO SEASONS: 1. AFTER GRAVE ILLNESS by CAROL FROST GETHSEMANE by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON SURFACES AND MASKS; 12 by CLARENCE MAJOR DOMESDAY BOOK: GREGORY WENNER by EDGAR LEE MASTERS SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: ELIZABETH CHILDERS by EDGAR LEE MASTERS |