Classic Poem

ODE

TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE REGENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND .

1.

Prince of the mighty Isle!
Proud day for thee and for thy kingdoms this,
When Britain round her spear
The olive garland twines, by Victory won.

2.

Rightly mayst thou rejoice,
For in a day of darkness and of storms,
An evil day, a day of woe,
To thee the sceptre feel.
The Continent was leagued,
Its numbers wielded by one will,
Against the mighty Isle;
All shores were hostile to the Red Cross flag,
All ports against it closed;
Save where, behind their ramparts driven,
The Spaniard, and the faithful Portugal,
Each on the utmost limits of his land,
Invincible of heart,
Stood firm, and put their trust
In their good cause and thee.

3.

Such perils menaced from abroad;
At home worse dangers compass'd thee,
Where shallow counsellors,
A weak but clamorous crew,
Pester'd the land, and with their withering breath
Poison'd the public ear
For peace the feeble raised their factious cry;
Oh, madness to resist
The Invincible in arms!
Seek the peace-garland from his dreadful hand!
And at the Tyrant's feet
They would have knelt to take
The wreath of aconite for Britain's brow.
Prince of the mighty Isle!
Rightly mayst thou rejoice,
For in the day of danger thou didst turn
From their vile counsels thine indignant heart;
Rightly mayst thou rejoice,
When Britain round her spear
The olive-garland twines, by Victory won

4.

Rejoice, thou mighty Isle,
Queen of the Seas! rejoice;
Ring round, ye merry bells,
Till every steeple rock,
And the wide air grow giddy with your joy!
Flow, streamers, to the breeze!
And, ye victorious banners, to the sun
Unroll the proud Red Cross!
Now let the anvil rest;
Shut up the loom, and open the school-doors,
That young and old may with festivities
Hallow for memory, through all after years,
This memorable time;
This memorable time,
When Peace, long absent, long deplored, returns.
Not as vile Faction would have brought her home,
Her countenance for shame abased,
In servile weeds array'd,
Submission leading her,
Fear, Sorrow, and Repentance following close;
And War, scarce deigning to conceal
Beneath the mantle's folds his armed plight,
Dogging her steps with deadly eye intent,
Sure of his victim, and in devilish joy
Laughing behind the mask.

5.

Not thus doth Peace return!—
A blessed visitant she comes,—
Honor in his right hand
Doth lead her like a bride;
And Victory goes before;
Hope, Safety, and Prosperity, and Strength,
Come in her joyful train.
Now let the churches ring
With high thanksgiving songs,
And the full organ pour
Its swelling peals to Heaven,
The while the grateful nation bless in prayer
Their Warriors, and their Statesmen, and their Prince,
Whose will, whose mind, whose arm
Have thus with happy end their efforts crown'd.
Prince of the mighty Isle,
Rightly mayst thou rejoice,
When Britain round her spear
The olive-garland twines, by Victory won.

6.

Enjoy thy triumph now,
Prince of the mighty Isle!
Enjoy the rich reward, so rightly due,
When rescued nations, with one heart and voice,
Thy counsels bless and thee.
Thou, on thine own Firm Island, seest the while,
As if the tales of old Romance
Were but to typify these splendid days,
Princes, and Potentates,
And Chiefs renown'd in arms,
From their great enterprise achieved,
In friendship and in joy collected here

7.

Rejoice, thou mighty Isle!
Queen of the Seas! rejoice;
For ne'er in elder nor in later times
Have such illustrious guests
Honor'd thy silver shores.
No such assemblage shone in Edward's hall,
Nor brighter triumphs graced his glorious reign.
Prince of the mighty Isle,
Proud day for thee and for thy kingdoms this!
Rightly mayst thou rejoice,
When Britain round her spear
The olive-garland twines, by Victory won.

8.

Yet in the pomp of these festivities
One mournful thought will rise within thy mind—

The thought of Him who sits
In mental as in visual darkness lost.
How had his heart been fill'd
With deepest gratitude to Heaven,
Had he beheld this day!
O King of kings, and Lord of lords,
Thou, who hast visited thus heavily
The anointed head,
Oh! for one little interval,
One precious hour,
Remove the blindness from his soul,
That he may know it all,
And bless thee ere he die.

9.

Thou also shouldst have seen
This harvest of thy hopes,
Thou, whom the guilty act
Of a proud spirit overthrown
Sent to thine early grave in evil hour!
Forget not him, my country, in thy joy;
But let thy grateful hand
With laurel garlands hang
The tomb of Perceval.
Virtuous, and firm, and wise
The Ark of Britain in her darkest day
He steer'd through stormy seas;
And long shall Britain hold his memory dear,
And faithful History give
His meed of lasting praise.

10.

That earthly meed shall his compeers enjoy,
Britain's true counsellors,
Who see with just success their counsels crown'd.
They have their triumph now, to him denied;
Proud day for them is this!
Prince of the mighty Isle!
Proud day for them and thee,
When Britain round her spear
The olive-garland twines, by Victory won.