History & Politics

On the Union

by Jonathan Swift 1667–1745

History & Politics

The queen has lately lost a part
Of her ENTIRELY-ENGLISH heart,
For want of which, by way of botch,
She pieced it up again with SCOTCH.
Blest revolution! which creates
Divided hearts, united states!
See how the double nation lies,
Like a rich coat with skirts of frize:
As if a man, in making posies,
Should bundle thistles up with roses.
Who ever yet a union saw
Of kingdoms without faith or law?
Henceforward let no statesman dare
A kingdom to a ship compare;
Lest he should call our commonweal
A vessel with a double keel:
Which, just like ours, new rigg'd and mann'd,
And got about a league from land,
By change of wind to leeward side,
The pilot knew not how to guide.
So tossing faction will o'erwhelm
Our crazy double-bottom'd realm.

MLA

Swift, Jonathan. “On the Union.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/swift/22/.

Chicago

Swift, Jonathan. “On the Union.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/swift/22/.

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