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;
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;
Yet shall some
tribute of regret be paid
When her long life hath reached its final day:
Men are we, and must grieve when even the Shade
Of that which once was great is passed away.
- William Wordsworth