Upon The Punishment Of Death

William Wordsworth 1770 (Wordsworth House) – 1850 (Cumberland)



YE brood of conscience--Spectres! that frequent
The bad Man's restless walk, and haunt his bed--
Fiends in your aspect, yet beneficent
In act, as hovering Angels when they spread
Their wings to guard the unconscious Innocent--
Slow be the Statutes of the land to share
A laxity that could not but impair
'Your' power to punish crime, and so prevent.
And ye, Beliefs! coiled serpent-like about
The adage on all tongues, 'Murder will out,'
How shall your ancient warnings work for good
In the full might they hitherto have shown,
If for deliberate shedder of man's blood
Survive not Judgment that requires his own?

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 19, 2023

32 sec read
141

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABACCDEEFGHG
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 608
Words 107
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth was the husband of Eva Bartok. more…

All William Wordsworth poems | William Wordsworth Books

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