Thy work is thine—the single note
From that deep chord which Hampden smote
Will vibrate to the doom.
NOTES AND QUESTIONS
For Biography, [see page 49].
Historical Note. John Hampden (1594-1643) was a celebrated English statesman and patriot. When Charles I attempted to impose a tax upon his subjects without the authority of Parliament, Hampden refused to pay. The King’s government brought suit against him, and although the case was decided against Hampden, later the House of Lords ordered the judgment of the court to be canceled.
Discussion. 1. Why does the poet think England should be proud of America? 2. Name some of the rights won by those of “English blood” before this. 3. Read the lines that tell, in figurative language, what England and Englishmen will do when their rights are attacked. 4. Notice in the last stanza how the words harmonies, note, chord, smote, and vibrate all help to carry out the thought, expressed in figurative language. 5. What was the “chord which Hampden smote”? 6. Is it still “vibrating”? 7. Did the poet use the same riming scheme in each of the stanzas?
Phrases
- [strong mother of a Lion-line, 340, 3]
- [wrench’d their rights, 340, 5]
- [in noble heat, 340, 6]
- [thine arms withstood, 340, 7]
- [re-taught the lesson thou hadst taught, 340, 8]
- [thy rocky face, 340, 12]
- [harmonies of law, 340, 16]