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Sonnets Upon The Punishment Of Death - In Series, 1839 - XIII - Conclusion - Yes, Though He Well May Tremble At The Sound

By William Wordsworth

Topics: classic

Yes, though He well may tremble at the sound Of his own voice, who from the judgment-seat Sends the pale Convict to his last retreat In death; though Listeners shudder all around, They know the dread requital's source profound; Nor is, they feel, its wisdom obsolete (Would that it were!) the sacrifice unmeet For Christian Faith. But hopeful signs abound; The social rights of man breathe purer air, Religion deepens her preventive care; Then, moved by needless fear of past abuse, Strike not from Law's firm hand that awful rod, But leave it thence to drop for lack of use: Oh, speed the blessed hour, Almighty God!

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"Yes, though He well may tremble at the sound..."

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Author:William Wordsworth

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"Yes, though He well may tremble at the sound..." by William Wordsworth

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William Wordsworth

About William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth (1770–1850) was an English Romantic poet who launched the movement with Samuel Taylor Coleridge in "Lyrical Ballads" (1798). His poems—including "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" and "Tintern Abbey"—championed nature, memory, and the language of common speech.

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