Ode on Venice by Lord Byron (1816)
The poem is a lamentation of the decline and fall of Venice, once a powerful maritime republic. It describes the city's former glory and its current state of decay and corruption. The speaker expresses his sorrow at the loss of Venice's independence and its transformation into a pawn in the game of European politics.
By Lord Byron · First published 1816 · Genre: Poetry, Romanticism, Elegy · 658 words
First lines
I / Oh Venice! Venice! When thy marble walls / Are level with the waters, there shall be / A cry of nations o'er thy sunken halls, / A loud lament along the sweeping sea! / If I, a northern wanderer, weep for thee,
What should thy sons do? - anything but weep; / And yet they only murmur in their sleep. / In contrast with their fathers - as the slime, / The dull green ooze of the receding deep, / Is with the dashing of the spring-tide foam / That drives the sailor shipless to his home, / Are they to those that were; and thus they creep, / Crouching and crab-like through their sapping streets.
What this Textopian page supports
Ode on Venice is listed on Textopian as a poem by Lord Byron, dated 1816 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Lord Byron
- Date: 1816 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Romanticism, Elegy, Historical, Travel Literature
- Length: 658 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
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Genres
- Poetry — The work is structured in verse form, utilizing rhyme and meter, characteristic of poetry.
- Romanticism — The themes of decay, nostalgia, and emotional expression align with Romantic literary movement.
- Elegy — The poem laments the decline of Venice, fitting the characteristics of an elegy.
- Historical — References to Venice's past and its historical significance are central to the poem's themes.
Tags
Poetry · Elegy · Travelogue · Romanticism · Venetian · Italian · Cityscape · Architecture · History · Culture · Artistic · Imagery-rich