Friday poem: 'The Masque of Anarchy'
A Friday poem from Percy Bysshe Shelley's The Masque of Anarchy.
'The Masque of Anarchy' is a political poem written by Percy Bysshe Shelley in response to the Peterloo Massacre of 1819. It is a call for freedom, and a statement of the principle of nonviolent resistance.
The Masque of Anarchy - Percy Bysshe Shelley
'Men of England, heirs of Glory,
Heroes of unwritten story,
Nurslings of one mighty Mother,
Hopes of her, and one another;
'Rise like Lions after slumber
In unvanquishable number,
Shake your chains to earth like dew
Which in sleep had fallen on you -
Ye are many - they are few.'
Verses from Percy Bysshe Shelley's The Masque of Anarchy. Read the full poem here.