| Francis T. Palgrave, ed. (1824–1897). The Golden Treasury. 1875. |
| |
| W. Wordsworth |
| |
| CCXI. On the Extinction of the Venetian Republic |
| |
| 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; | 5 |
| 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,— | 10 |
| Yet shall some tribute of regret be paid | |
| When her long life hath reach'd its final day: | |
| Men are we, and must grieve when even the shade | |
| Of that which once was great has pass'd away. | |
| |
|
|
