The Fourth of July Ode

You remember that on Saturday I shared a post with you containing the poem The Flag Goes By, and I told you I would have another poem for you today? Well, here I am, on the Fourth of July, with my second poem. What is its name? The Fourth of July Ode, by James Russell Lowell.

 

I thought this would be a fitting poem, since it is the Fourth of July. I have read Lowell's poems in my literature book, and I really like his works. My literature book also gave me an
"author box" describing Lowell. This is what it said:

James Russell Lowell was a nineteenth-century Romantic poet, essayist, and literary critic. He also held the position of professor of modern languages at Harvard University. His most famous critical piece, "A Fable For Critics", written in 1848, was a long poem in which he made remarks about the authors of his day.

So, without further ado, here is the poem:

The Fourth of July Ode

I.

Our fathers fought for liberty,
They struggled long and well,
History of their deeds can tell—
But did they leave us free?

II.

Are we free from vanity,
Free from pride, and free from self,
Free from love of power and pelf,
From everything that’s beggarly?

III.

Are we free from stubborn will,
From low hate and malice small,
From opinion’s tyrant thrall?
Are none of us our own slaves still?

IV.

Are we free to speak our thought,
To be happy, and be poor,
Free to enter Heaven’s door,
To live and labor as we ought?

V.

Are we then made free at last
From the fear of what men say,
Free to reverence Today,
Free from the slavery of the Past?

VI.

Our fathers fought for liberty,
They struggled long and well,
History of their deeds can tell—
But ourselves must set us free.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked this poem! Leave your comments in the comment section below or on Facebook.