The Poetical Works of George Barlow In Ten [Eleven] Volumes |
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The Poetical Works of George Barlow | ||
SONNET XVIII
FOR CORONATION DAY, THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 1911.
I
At this stern moment when black treason prowlsFrom land to land, and base sedition plots,
While patriotism shrinks, and manhood rots,
And womanhood, degraded, shrieks and howls,
And decadent girls, half-dressed and eyed like ghouls,
Crowd mocking streets: while Irish, Welsh and Scots,
Would have the kingdom parcelled into lots:
While Little England snarls and spits and scowls:
At such an hour, when traitorous tongues go free
And every loyal heart commits a crime,
A keener sword is needed than of rhyme
That, Royal at home, Imperial o'er the sea,
Our English Monarch's opening reign may be
The turning-point of history and of time.
The Poetical Works of George Barlow | ||