England in 1819 Lyrics
Princes, the dregs of their dull race, who flow
Through public scorn,—mud from a muddy spring,—
Rulers who neither see, nor feel, nor know,
But leech-like to their fainting country cling,
Till they drop, blind in blood, without a blow,—
A people starved and stabbed in the untilled field,—
An army, which liberticide and prey
Makes as a two-edged sword to all who wield
Golden and sanguine laws which tempt and slay;
Religion Christless, Godless—a book sealed;
A Senate,—Time's worst statute unrepealed,—
Are graves, from which a glorious Phantom may
Burst, to illumine our tempestous day.
About
The Romantic Movement
This term, devised after the ‘Romantic poets’, like Keats, Byron and Wordsworth, had died, describes broadly the period from about 1770 to 1830. It was a time of experimentation in literature, marked by less conformist style and greater individuality. Poetry could be regarded as a form of expression for and about ordinary people, rather than being the preserve of a high-born well-educated elite. The French Revolution of 1779 also generated hope and, in literature, innovative ways of expression.
Shelley’s poem, ‘England in 1819’, fits with this period in its clear protest against the existing system and its sympathy for ordinary citizens and their suffering.
Sonnet Structure
The structure of this poem is broadly a fourteen-line sonnet although its rhyme scheme varies from the traditional English sonnet (also called the Shakespearean sonnet). A sonnet is a poem which expresses a thought or idea and develops it, often cleverly and wittily. However, Shelley’s prime purpose here is not to display wit but to make an important social and political point.
About Sonnets
The sonnet genre reaches from the present day back to the Medieval Romances, where a woman is loved and idealised by a worshipping admirer. For example, Sir Philip Sydney in the Astrophil and Stella sonnet sequence wrote in this mode. The Victorians also wrote sonnets, for example Christina Rossetti and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. For more about sonnets see Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116
The sonnet metre is traditionally iambic pentameter, that is five pairs of stressed and unstressed syllables to the line. The effect is stately and rhythmic. However, Shelley uses instead a freer yet solemn, emphatic rhythm to convey the seriousness of his subject.
Rhyme Scheme
The rhyming pattern comprises two sets of six lines with condensed alternating rhyme, creating an intense mood. It is followed by a closed rhyming couplet. This differs from the traditional Shakespearean pattern of three sets of four-lines followed by a couplet. In both, however, the volta or turn at the end introduces an unexpected twist or, as here, a different perspective on the subject.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning