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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 has passed away.
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