A Curse For A Nation Poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

A Curse For A Nation

Rating: 3.0


I heard an angel speak last night,
And he said 'Write!
Write a Nation's curse for me,
And send it over the Western Sea.'

I faltered, taking up the word:
'Not so, my lord!
If curses must be, choose another
To send thy curse against my brother.

'For I am bound by gratitude,
By love and blood,
To brothers of mine across the sea,
Who stretch out kindly hands to me.'

'Therefore,' the voice said, 'shalt thou write
My curse to-night.
From the summits of love a curse is driven,
As lightning is from the tops of heaven.'

'Not so,' I answered. 'Evermore
My heart is sore
For my own land's sins: for little feet
Of children bleeding along the street:

'For parked-up honors that gainsay
The right of way:
For almsgiving through a door that is
Not open enough for two friends to kiss:

'For love of freedom which abates
Beyond the Straits:
For patriot virtue starved to vice on
Self-praise, self-interest, and suspicion:

'For an oligarchic parliament,
And bribes well-meant.
What curse to another land assign,
When heavy-souled for the sins of mine?'

'Therefore,' the voice said, 'shalt thou write
My curse to-night.
Because thou hast strength to see and hate
A foul thing done within thy gate.'

'Not so,' I answered once again.
'To curse, choose men.
For I, a woman, have only known
How the heart melts and the tears run down.'

'Therefore,' the voice said, 'shalt thou write
My curse to-night.
Some women weep and curse, I say
(And no one marvels), night and day.

'And thou shalt take their part to-night,
Weep and write.
A curse from the depths of womanhood
Is very salt, and bitter, and good.'

So thus I wrote, and mourned indeed,
What all may read.
And thus, as was enjoined on me,
I send it over the Western Sea.

The Curse

Because ye have broken your own chain
With the strain
Of brave men climbing a Nation's height,
Yet thence bear down with brand and thong
On souls of others, -- for this wrong
This is the curse. Write.

Because yourselves are standing straight
In the state
Of Freedom's foremost acolyte,
Yet keep calm footing all the time
On writhing bond-slaves, -- for this crime
This is the curse. Write.

Because ye prosper in God's name,
With a claim
To honor in the old world's sight,
Yet do the fiend's work perfectly
In strangling martyrs, -- for this lie
This is the curse. Write.

Ye shall watch while kings conspire
Round the people's smouldering fire,
And, warm for your part,
Shall never dare -- O shame!
To utter the thought into flame
Which burns at your heart.
This is the curse. Write.

Ye shall watch while nations strive
With the bloodhounds, die or survive,
Drop faint from their jaws,
Or throttle them backward to death;
And only under your breath
Shall favor the cause.
This is the curse. Write.

Ye shall watch while strong men draw
The nets of feudal law
To strangle the weak;
And, counting the sin for a sin,
Your soul shall be sadder within
Than the word ye shall speak.
This is the curse. Write.

When good men are praying erect
That Christ may avenge His elect
And deliver the earth,
The prayer in your ears, said low,
Shall sound like the tramp of a foe
That's driving you forth.
This is the curse. Write.

When wise men give you their praise,
They shall praise in the heat of the phrase,
As if carried too far.
When ye boast your own charters kept true,
Ye shall blush; for the thing which ye do
Derides what ye are.
This is the curse. Write.

When fools cast taunts at your gate,
Your scorn ye shall somewhat abate
As ye look o'er the wall;
For your conscience, tradition, and name
Explode with a deadlier blame
Than the worst of them all.
This is the curse. Write.

Go, wherever ill deeds shall be done,
Go, plant your flag in the sun
Beside the ill-doers!
And recoil from clenching the curse
Of God's witnessing Universe
With a curse of yours.
This is the curse. Write.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Emmanuel Solorzano 23 March 2012

This poem was against american slavery. it was published in an abolitionist newspaper and then again in Poems Before Congress. I think she uses the 'curse' because of the old testament prophets who spoke up against Israel and also against foreign nations. she may mean to show the lack of Christian behavior our supposedly Christian nation (at the time) was showing in keeping slaves. anyway, the poem's interesting. I like the prologue particularly. just beautiful.

12 4 Reply
* Sunprincess * 12 June 2014

............writing a curse upon a nation is not a very nice thing to do Elizabeth....

7 8 Reply
WilliamBejk 01 February 2021

maybe - but enslaving an entire people, actually harming them, not just provoking them with a curse, might be actually so much worse

1 1
BLACKHAWK Soon 11 May 2023

Yeah, I hate the amount of children jews enslaved. Time to sing a curse that lasts.

0 0
Savita Tyagi 12 June 2013

Ye shall watch while strong men draw the nets of feudal law to strangle the weak A happening of centuries- the curse that keeps on falling upon most prosperous! Wonderful poem!

13 1 Reply
SapphireRoad 06 March 2020

*pause not praise... as if carried too far

1 0 Reply
Robert Eugene Haring 24 April 2019

This poem makes sense many years after her death. The roots of flowers cut!

0 0 Reply
Madhabi Banerjee 15 August 2018

what a beautiful poem! . i like it

1 2 Reply
Aman Sharma 19 March 2018

I like this poem a lot

1 2 Reply
Dawanna Taylor 26 November 2015

Honestly I really love this poem. Its very fasanating and interesting.

12 3 Reply
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