On the Extinction of the Venetian Republic

.   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 reached its final day:
  Men are we, and must grieve when even the Shade
  Of that which once was great is passed away.