ONCE did she hold the gorgeous East in fee;   And was the safeguard of the West: the worth   Of Venice did not fall below her birth, Venice, the eldest Child of Liberty. She was a maiden City, bright and free;   No guile seduced, no force could violate;   And, when she took unto herself a mate, She must espouse the everlasting Sea. And what if she had seen those glories fade,   Those titles vanish, and that strength decay; Yet shall some tribute of regret be paid   When her long life hath reach'd its final day: Men are we, and must grieve when even the Shade   Of that which once was great is pass'd away.