Song: Translated from the German
The poem issues a call to arms, urging a hero to wield a dagger and spear to execute divine vengeance against a dastard. It promises that the warrior who defends justice will receive praise from warriors and the affection of his beloved maiden as his reward.
By Percy Bysshe Shelley · Genre: Romantic Poetry, War Poetry · 202 words
First lines
Ah! grasp the dire dagger and couch the fell spear, / If vengeance and death to thy bosom be dear, / The dastard shall perish, death's torment shall prove, / For fate and revenge are decreed from above.
Ah! where is the hero, whose nerves strung by youth, / Will defend the firm cause of justice and truth; / With insatiate desire whose bosom shall swell, / To give up the oppressor to judgement and Hell-
For him shall the fair one twine chaplets of bays, / To him shall each warrior give merited praise, / And triumphant returned from the clangour of arms, / He shall find his reward in his loved maiden's charms.
Genres
- Romantic Poetry — The speaker's impassioned call to resist oppression joins violent resolve with imagined rewards of love.
- War Poetry — The speaker urges the use of dagger and spear and promises praise and affection to a warrior returning triumphantly from battle.
Tags
vengeance · justice · warfare · weapons · love · translation
What this Textopian page supports
Song: Translated from the German is listed on Textopian as a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Percy Bysshe Shelley
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Romantic Poetry, War Poetry
- Length: 202 words
- Structure: 1 section, 5 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Song: Translated from the German by Percy Bysshe Shelley
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