To The Country Gentlemen Of England Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABABCCDBBD EFEGEEHIIHJEJEKKLMML EBEBNNGOOGFPFPDBHQQH RSTUEEOHHOPEPEEEKVVK BWBWEESEESPOPOGGXYZB A2QA2QB2B2BC2C2BELEL D2D2GEEG E2LE2LXXE2BBE2GB2GB2 EEF2BBF2 PBPBLLPE2E2PUBUBG2G2 GE2E2G EE2EE2E2E2E2E2E2E2SE 2SE2EEBRTBWhither is Europe's ancient spirit fled | A |
Where are those valiant tenants of her shore | B |
Who from the warrior bow the strong dart sped | A |
Or with firm hand the rapid pole ax bore | B |
Freeman and soldier was their common name | C |
Who late with reapers to the furrow came | C |
Now in the front of battle charg'd the foe | D |
Who taught the steer the wintry plough to indure | B |
Now in full councils check'd incroaching power | B |
And gave the guardian laws their majesty to know | D |
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But who are ye from Ebro's loitering sons | E |
To Tiber's pageants to the sports of Seine | F |
From Rhine's frail palaces to Danube's thrones | E |
And cities looking on the Cimbric main | G |
Ye lost ye self deserted whose proud lords | E |
Have baffled your tame hands and given your swords | E |
To slavish ruffians hir'd for their command | H |
These at some greedy monk's or harlot's nod | I |
See rifled nations crouch beneath their rod | I |
These are the public will the reason of the land | H |
Thou heedless Albion what alas the while | J |
Dost thou presume O inexpert in arms | E |
Yet vain of freedom how dost thou beguile | J |
With dreams of hope these near and loud alarms | E |
Thy splendid home thy plan of laws renown'd | K |
The praise and envy of the nations round | K |
What care hast thou to guard from fortune's sway | L |
Amid the storms of war how soon may all | M |
The lofty pile from its foundations fall | M |
Of ages the proud toil the ruin of a day | L |
- | |
No thou art rich thy streams and fertile vales | E |
Add industry's wise gifts to nature's store | B |
And every port is crouded with thy sails | E |
And every wave throws treasure on thy shore | B |
What boots it If luxurious plenty charm | N |
Thy selfish heart from glory if thy arm | N |
Shrink at the frowns of danger and of pain | G |
Those gifts that treasure is no longer thine | O |
Oh rather far be poor Thy gold will shine | O |
Tempting the eye of force and deck thee to thy bane | G |
But what hath force or war to do with thee | F |
Girt by the azure tide and thron'd sublime | P |
Amid thy floating bulwarks thou canst see | F |
With scorn the fury of each hostile clime | P |
Dash'd ere it reach thee Sacred from the foe | D |
Are thy fair fields athwart thy guardian prow | B |
No bold invader's foot shall tempt the strand | H |
Yet say my country will the waves and wind | Q |
Obey thee Hast thou all thy hopes resign'd | Q |
To the sky's fickle faith the pilot's wavering hand | H |
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For oh may neither fear nor stronger love | R |
Love by thy virtuous princes nobly won | S |
Thee last of many wretched nations move | T |
With mighty armies station'd round the throne | U |
To trust thy safety Then farewell the claims | E |
Of freedom Her proud records to the flames | E |
Then bear an offering at ambition's shrine | O |
Whate'er thy ancient patriots dar'd demand | H |
From furious John's or faithless Charles's hand | H |
Or what great William seal'd for his adopted line | O |
But if thy sons be worthy of their name | P |
If liberal laws with liberal hearts they prize | E |
Let them from conquest and from servile shame | P |
In war's glad school their own protectors rise | E |
Ye chiefly heirs of Albion's cultur'd plains | E |
Ye leaders of her bold and faithful swains | E |
Now not unequal to your birth be found | K |
The public voice bids arm your rural state | V |
Paternal hamlets for your ensigns wait | V |
And grange and fold prepare to pour their youth around | K |
- | |
Why are ye tardy what inglorious care | B |
Detains you from their head your native post | W |
Who most their country's fame and fortune share | B |
'Tis theirs to share her toils her perils most | W |
Each man his task in social life sustains | E |
With partial labours with domestic gains | E |
Let others dwell to you indulgent heaven | S |
By counsel and by arms the public cause | E |
To serve for public love and love's applause | E |
The first imployment far the noblest hire hath given | S |
Have ye not heard of Laced mon's fame | P |
Of Attic chiefs in freedom's war divine | O |
Of Rome's dread generals the Valerian name | P |
The Fabian sons the Scipios matchless line | O |
Your lot was theirs the farmer and the swain | G |
Met his lov'd patron's summons from the plain | G |
The legions gather'd the bright eagles flew | X |
Barbarian monarchs in the triumph mourn'd | Y |
The conquerors to their houshold gods return'd | Z |
And fed Calabrian flocks and steer'd the Sabine plough | B |
- | |
Shall then this glory of the antique age | A2 |
This pride of men be lost among mankind | Q |
Shall war's heroic arts no more ingage | A2 |
The unbought hand the unsubjected mind | Q |
Doth valour to the race no more belong | B2 |
No more with scorn of violence and wrong | B2 |
Doth forming nature now her sons inspire | B |
That like some mystery to few reveal'd | C2 |
The skill of arms abash'd and aw'd they yield | C2 |
And from their own defence with hopeless hearts retire | B |
O shame to human life to human laws | E |
The loose adventurer hireling of a day | L |
Who his fell sword without affection draws | E |
Whose God whose country is a tyrant's pay | L |
This man the lessons of the field can learn | D2 |
Can every palm which decks a warrior earn | D2 |
And every pledge of conquest while in vain | G |
To guard your altars your paternal lands | E |
Are social arms held out to your free hands | E |
Too arduous is the lore too irksome were the pain | G |
- | |
Meantime by pleasure's lying tales allur'd | E2 |
From the bright sun and living breeze ye stray | L |
And deep in London's gloomy haunts immur'd | E2 |
Brood o'er your fortune's freedom's health's decay | L |
O blind of choice and to yourselves untrue | X |
The young grove shoots their bloom the fields renew | X |
The mansion asks its lord the swains their friend | E2 |
While he doth riot's orgies haply share | B |
Or tempt the gamester's dark destroying snare | B |
Or at some courtly shrine with slavish incense bend | E2 |
And yet full oft your anxious tongues complain | G |
That lawless tumult prompts the rustic throng | B2 |
That the rude village inmates now disdain | G |
Those homely ties which rul'd their fathers long | B2 |
Alas your fathers did by other arts | E |
Draw those kind ties around their simple hearts | E |
And led in other paths their ductile will | F2 |
By succour faithful counsel courteous cheer | B |
Won them the ancient manners to revere | B |
To prize their country's peace and heaven's due rites fulfill | F2 |
- | |
But mark rhe judgement of experienc'd Time | P |
Tutor of nations Doth light discord tear | B |
A state and impotent sedition's crime | P |
The powers of warlike prudence dwell not there | B |
The powers who to command and to obey | L |
Instruct the valiant There would civil sway | L |
The rising race to manly concord tame | P |
Oft let the marshal'd field their steps unite | E2 |
And in glad splendor bring before their sight | E2 |
One common cause and one hereditary fame | P |
Nor yet be aw'd nor yet your task disown | U |
Though war's proud votaries look on severe | B |
Though secrets taught erewhile to them alone | U |
They deem profan'd by your intruding ear | B |
Let them in vain your martial hope to quell | G2 |
Of new refinements fiercer weapons tell | G2 |
And mock the old simplicity in vain | G |
To the time's warfare simple or refin'd | E2 |
The time itself adapts the warrior's mind | E2 |
And equal prowess still shall equal palms obtain | G |
- | |
Say then if England's youth in earlier days | E |
On glory's field with well train'd armies vy'd | E2 |
Why shall they now renounce that generous praise | E |
Why dread the foreign mercenary's pride | E2 |
Though Valois brav'd young Edward's gentle hand | E2 |
And Albret rush'd on Henry's way worn band | E2 |
With Europe's chosen sons in arms renown'd | E2 |
Yet not on Vere's bold archers long they look'd | E2 |
Nor Audley's squires nor Mowbray's yeomen brook'd | E2 |
They saw their standard fall and left their monarch bound | E2 |
Such were the laurels which your fathers won | S |
Such glory's dictates in their dauntless breast | E2 |
Is there no voice that speaks to every son | S |
No nobler holier call to You address'd | E2 |
O by majestic freedom righteous laws | E |
By heavenly truth's by manly reason's cause | E |
Awake attend be indolent no more | B |
By friendship social peace domestic love | R |
Rise arm your country's living safety prove | T |
And train her valiant youth and watch around her shore | B |
Mark Akenside
(1)
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