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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


WELLINGTON by BENJAMIN DISRAELI

First Line: NOT ONLY THAT THY PUISSANT ARM COULD BIND
Last Line: YET SOVEREIGN OF THYSELF, WHATE'ER MAY SPEED.
Subject(s): WELLESLEY, ARTHUR (1769-1852); WELLINGTON, DUKE OF;

NOT only that thy puissant arm could bind
The tyrant of a world; and, conquering Fate,
Enfranchise Europe, do I deem thee great;
But that in all thy actions I do find
Exact propriety: no gusts of mind
Fitful and wild, but that continuous state
Of order'd impulse mariners await
In some benignant and enriching wind, --
The breath ordain'd of Nature. Thy calm mien
Recalls old Rome, as much as thy high deed;
Duty thine only idol, and serene
When all are troubled; in the utmost need
Prescient; thy country's servant ever seen,
Yet sovereign of thyself, whate'er may speed.



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