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1807 |
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1807 |
Note:
The reference is, of course, to Napoleon.—Ed.
To the Men of Kent. October, 1803
Composed October 1803.—Published 1807
One of the "Sonnets dedicated to Liberty"; re-named in 1845, "Poems
dedicated to National Independence and Liberty."—Ed.
The Poem
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| Vanguard of Liberty, ye men of Kent, Ye children of a Soil that doth advance Her haughty brow against the coast of France, Now is the time to prove your hardiment! To France be words of invitation sent! They from their fields can see the countenance Of your fierce war, may ken the glittering lance And hear you shouting forth your brave intent. Left single, in bold parley, ye, of yore, Did from the Norman win a gallant wreath; Confirmed the charters that were yours before;— No parleying now! In Britain is one breath; We all are with you now from shore to shore:— Ye men of Kent, 'tis victory or death! Contents 1803 Main Contents |
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MS. |
Compare Michael Drayton's Barons' Wars, book i.:
'Then those of Kent, unconquered of the rest,
That to this day maintain their ancient right.'
Ed.
In the Pass of Killicranky
An invasion being expected, October 1803
Composed October 1803.—Published 1807
From 1807 to 1820 this sonnet was one of those "dedicated to Liberty."
In 1827 it was included among the "Memorials of a Tour in Scotland,
1803." From 1807 to 1820 the title was simply October, 1803.—Ed.
The Poem
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| Six thousand veterans practised in war's game, Tried men, at Killicranky were arrayed Against an equal host that wore the plaid, Shepherds and herdsmen.—Like a whirlwind came The Highlanders, the slaughter spread like flame; And Garry, thundering down his mountain-road, Was stopped, and could not breathe beneath the load Of the dead bodies.—'Twas a day of shame For them whom precept and the pedantry Of cold mechanic battle do enslave. O for a single hour of that Dundee, Who on that day the word of onset gave! Like conquest would the Men of England see; And her Foes find a like inglorious grave. Note Contents 1803 Main Contents |
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See an anecdote related in Mr. Scott's
Border Minstrelsy
.—W. W. 1807.
"Oh for an hour of Dundee" was an exclamation of Gordon of Glenbucket at
Sheriffmuir.—Ed.
Note:
The following is from Dorothy Wordsworth's Recollections of a Tour made
in Scotland, 1803:
"Thursday, September 8th.—Before breakfast we walked to the Pass of Killicrankie. A very fine scene; the river Garry forcing its way down a deep chasm between rocks, at the foot of high rugged hills covered with wood, to a great height. The pass did not, however, impress us with awe, or a sensation of difficulty or danger, according to our expectations; but, the road being at a considerable height on the side of the hill, we at first only looked into the dell or chasm. It is much grander seen from below, near the river's bed. Everybody knows that this Pass is famous in military history. When we were travelling in Scotland, an invasion was hourly looked for, and one could not but think with some regret of the times when, from the now depopulated Highlands forty or fifty thousand men might have been poured down for the defence of the country, under such leaders as the Marquis of Montrose or the brave man who had so distinguished himself upon the ground where we were standing. I will transcribe a sonnet suggested to William by this place, and written in Oct. 1803."
Ed.
Anticipation. October, 1803
Composed October 1803.—Published 1807A
Included among the "Sonnets dedicated to Liberty"; re-named in 1845,
"Poems dedicated to National Independence and Liberty."—Ed.
The Poem
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| Shout, for a mighty Victory is won! On British ground the Invaders are laid low; The breath of Heaven has drifted them like snow, And left them lying in the silent sun, Never to rise again!—the work is done. Come forth, ye old men, now in peaceful show And greet your sons! drums beat and trumpets blow! Make merry, wives! ye little children, stun Your grandame's ears with pleasure of your noise! Clap, infants, clap your hands! Divine must be That triumph, when the very worst, the pain, And even the prospect of our brethren slain, Hath something in it which the heart enjoys:— In glory will they sleep and endless sanctity. Note Contents 1803 Main Contents |
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1838 |
The edition of 1840 returns to the text of 1807.
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MS. 1803. And in The Poetical Register, 1803. |
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MS. 1803. |
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MS. 1803. And in The Poetical Register, 1803. |
i. e. in the edition of 1807, but this sonnet was
previously printed in 1803 in The Poetical Register, vol. iii. p. 340,
in the Anti-Gallican (1804), and in the Poetical Repository
(1805).—Ed.
Note:
This sonnet, as the title indicates, does not refer to an actual
victory; because, since the Norman conquest, no "Invaders" have ever set
foot "on British ground." It was written—like the two preceding
sonnets, and the one that follows it—"in anticipation" of Napoleon's
project for the invasion of England being actually carried out; a
project never realised. The assembling of the immense French army
destined for this purpose—one of the finest brought together since the
days of the Roman legions—between the mouths of the Seine and the
Texel, roused the spirit of English patriotism as it had never been
roused before. Three hundred thousand volunteers were enlisted in Great
Britain by the 10th of August 1803;
"all the male population of the kingdom from seventeen years of age to fifty-five were divided into classes to be successively armed and exercised" (Dyer).
The story of the failure of Napoleon's scheme is too well known to be
repeated in this note. Wordsworth seems to have written his sonnet in
anticipation of what he believed would have been the inevitable issue of
events, had the French army actually landed on British soil.—Ed.
Lines on the Expected Invasion, 1803
Composed 1803.—Published 1842
Included among the "Poems dedicated to National Independence and
Liberty."—Ed.
The Poem
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| Come ye—who, if (which Heaven avert!) the Land Were with herself at strife, would take your stand, Like gallant Falkland, by the Monarch's side, And, like Montrose, make Loyalty your pride— Come ye—who, not less zealous, might display Banners at enmity with regal sway, And, like the Pyms and Miltons of that day, Think that a State would live in sounder health If Kingship bowed its head to Commonwealth— Ye too—whom no discreditable fear Would keep, perhaps with many a fruitless tear, Uncertain what to choose and how to steer— And ye—who might mistake for sober sense And wise reserve the plea of indolence— Come ye—whate'er your creed—O waken all, Whate'er your temper, at your Country's call; Resolving (this a free-born Nation can) To have one Soul, and perish to a man, Or save this honoured Land from every Lord But British reason and the British sword. Contents 1803 Main Contents |
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| 1802 | ← | end of Volume II: 1803 |
| Main Contents |