Analysis of A Curse For A Nation
Elizabeth Barrett Browning 1806 (Kelloe) – 1861 (Florence)
I heard an angel speak last night,
And he said 'Write!
Write a Nation's curse for me,
And send it over the Western Sea.'
I faltered, taking up the word:
'Not so, my lord!
If curses must be, choose another
To send thy curse against my brother.
'For I am bound by gratitude,
By love and blood,
To brothers of mine across the sea,
Who stretch out kindly hands to me.'
'Therefore,' the voice said, 'shalt thou write
My curse to-night.
From the summits of love a curse is driven,
As lightning is from the tops of heaven.'
'Not so,' I answered. 'Evermore
My heart is sore
For my own land's sins: for little feet
Of children bleeding along the street:
'For parked-up honors that gainsay
The right of way:
For almsgiving through a door that is
Not open enough for two friends to kiss:
'For love of freedom which abates
Beyond the Straits:
For patriot virtue starved to vice on
Self-praise, self-interest, and suspicion:
'For an oligarchic parliament,
And bribes well-meant.
What curse to another land assign,
When heavy-souled for the sins of mine?'
'Therefore,' the voice said, 'shalt thou write
My curse to-night.
Because thou hast strength to see and hate
A foul thing done within thy gate.'
'Not so,' I answered once again.
'To curse, choose men.
For I, a woman, have only known
How the heart melts and the tears run down.'
'Therefore,' the voice said, 'shalt thou write
My curse to-night.
Some women weep and curse, I say
(And no one marvels), night and day.
'And thou shalt take their part to-night,
Weep and write.
A curse from the depths of womanhood
Is very salt, and bitter, and good.'
So thus I wrote, and mourned indeed,
What all may read.
And thus, as was enjoined on me,
I send it over the Western Sea.
Because ye have broken your own chain
With the strain
Of brave men climbing a Nation's height,
Yet thence bear down with brand and thong
On souls of others, -- for this wrong
This is the curse. Write.
Because yourselves are standing straight
In the state
Of Freedom's foremost acolyte,
Yet keep calm footing all the time
On writhing bond-slaves, -- for this crime
This is the curse. Write.
Because ye prosper in God's name,
With a claim
To honor in the old world's sight,
Yet do the fiend's work perfectly
In strangling martyrs, -- for this lie
This is the curse. Write.
Ye shall watch while kings conspire
Round the people's smouldering fire,
And, warm for your part,
Shall never dare -- O shame!
To utter the thought into flame
Which burns at your heart.
This is the curse. Write.
Ye shall watch while nations strive
With the bloodhounds, die or survive,
Drop faint from their jaws,
Or throttle them backward to death;
And only under your breath
Shall favor the cause.
This is the curse. Write.
Ye shall watch while strong men draw
The nets of feudal law
To strangle the weak;
And, counting the sin for a sin,
Your soul shall be sadder within
Than the word ye shall speak.
This is the curse. Write.
When good men are praying erect
That Christ may avenge His elect
And deliver the earth,
The prayer in your ears, said low,
Shall sound like the tramp of a foe
That's driving you forth.
This is the curse. Write.
When wise men give you their praise,
They shall praise in the heat of the phrase,
As if carried too far.
When ye boast your own charters kept true,
Ye shall blush; for the thing which ye do
Derides what ye are.
This is the curse. Write.
When fools cast taunts at your gate,
Your scorn ye shall somewhat abate
As ye look o'er the wall;
For your conscience, tradition, and name
Explode with a deadlier blame
Than the worst of them all.
This is the curse. Write.
Go, wherever ill deeds shall be done,
Go, plant your flag in the sun
Beside the ill-doers!
And recoil from clenching the curse
Of God's witnessing Universe
With a curse of yours.
This is the curse. Write.
Scheme | aabb xxcc xxbb AAdd eeff ggxx hhxd xxii AAjj kkxx AAgg aall xxbb mmannA jjaooA ppabxA ccqppqA rrxssxA ttuvvuA wwxxxxA yyz1 1 za jj2 Pp2 a ddX3 3 xa |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 11110111 0111 1010111 011100101 11010101 1111 110111010 111101110 1111110 1101 110110101 11110111 1011111 1111 10101101110 1101101110 1111010 1111 111111101 110100101 1111011 0111 1110111 1100111111 11110101 0101 1100101111 111100010 111100 0111 111010101 110110111 1011111 1111 011111101 01110111 11110101 1111 110101101 101100111 1011111 1111 11010111 01110101 01111111 101 01101110 110101001 11110101 1111 01110111 111100101 011110111 101 111100101 11111101 11110111 11011 01011101 001 110110 11110101 11011111 11011 01110011 101 11000111 11011100 010010111 11011 11111010 1010110 01111 110111 11001011 11111 11011 1111101 10101101 11111 11011011 0101011 11001 11011 1111111 011101 11001 01001101 11111001 101111 11011 11111001 11101101 001001 0101111 11101101 11011 11011 1111111 111001101 111011 111111011 111101111 01111 11011 1111111 11111101 1111001 111001001 01101001 101111 11011 101011111 1111001 010110 0011101 1110010 10111 11011 |
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 3,999 |
Words | 708 |
Sentences | 52 |
Stanzas | 23 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 6, 6, 6, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7 |
Lines Amount | 119 |
Letters per line (avg) | 24 |
Words per line (avg) | 6 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 127 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 30 |
Font size:
Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on May 03, 2023
- 3:32 min read
- 546 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"A Curse For A Nation" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 3 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/10208/a-curse-for-a-nation>.
Discuss this Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In