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;

 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.