ON THE UNION

The queen has lately lost a part

Of her ENTIRELY-ENGLISH[1] 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?[2]

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.

[Footnote 1: The motto on Queen Anne's coronation medal.--_N_.]

[Footnote 2: _I.e._, Differing in religion and law.]

The Poems of Jonathan Swift, D.D., Volume 1 · 第 57 / 243 题