To A Certain Nation

By Gilbert Keith Chesterton

We will not let thee be, for thou art ours. We thank thee still, though thou forget these things, For that hour's sake when thou didst wake all powers With a great cry that God was sick of kings. Leave thee there grovelling at their rusted greaves, These hulking cowards on a painted stage, Who, with imperial pomp and laurel leaves, Show their Marengo--one man in a cage. These, for whom stands no type or title given In all the squalid tales of gore and pelf; Though cowed by crashing thunders from all heaven. Cain never said, 'My brother slew himself.' Tear you the truth out of your drivelling spy, The maniac whom you set to swing death's scythe. Nay; torture not the torturer--let him lie: What need of racks to teach a worm to writhe? Bear with us, O our sister, not in pride, Nor any scorn we see thee spoiled of knaves, But only shame to hear, where Danton died, Thy foul dead kings all laughing in their graves. Thou hast a right to rule thyself; to be The thing thou wilt; to grin, to fawn, to creep: To crown these clumsy liars; ay, and we Who knew thee once, we have a right to weep.

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Poem Details

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Analysis & Notes:

This poem, rich in historical allusions and political commentary, grapples with themes of power, corruption, and the human capacity for self-determination. The poet employs a tone of righteous indignation and deep sorrow, lamenting the condition of a nation that seems manipulated by tyrannical forces.

The poem's structure is consistent, its stanzas each containing four lines, a form known as a quatrain. This regularity serves to underscore the grave and serious message of the poem. One notable literary device used throughout the poem is personification, with the nation being addressed as a beleaguered sister, a vivid image that heightens the emotional impact of the poet's critique.

The theme of power and its potential for corruption is dominant. The poet decries the "cowards on a painted stage" who wield power with "imperial pomp" while the populace remains subjugated. The reference to "Marengo" and "Danton" situates the poem within a specific historical context, evoking the upheavals of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic era, periods marked by violent struggles for power.

The poem also emphasizes the right to self-determination, a fundamental human right that the poet suggests has been usurped. The concluding lines, however, introduce a note of pathos. Despite the poet's harsh words, there is a sense of shared suffering and a tragic acknowledgment that those who "knew thee once" can only "weep" at the current state of affairs.

In sum, this is a potent poem that uses historical references, evocative imagery, and impassioned rhetoric to critique abuses of power and mourn the loss of self-determination.