“He is the freeman whom the Truth makes free;
All else are slaves,” I cry aloud to thee,
O Garibaldi! in the fateful hour.
Think not ’tis in mere human might or power,
Not even the might of such an arm as thine,
To compass freedom, lasting, true, divine—
Not the keen edge of thy all-conquering sword
Can cut the Gordian double-knotted cord
That ignorance and superstition winds
With deadening strain round captive human minds.
Slaves of the Papacy! when will ye know
That, to be free, yourselves must strike the blow?
Your souls are shackled, and your hearts benumbed,
And even majestic Reason has succumbed,
And, stumbling in the gloom of Papal night,
Moves blindfold, still eschewing truth and light.
Awake! ye sleepers in the dust! Awake!
For truth, for freedom, for your country’s sake!
Awake from your enchanted sleep! Arise!
Shake off the accursed spell; unclose your eyes.
The Word of Life, the Sun of Truth has risen;
To read, to hear insures not now a prison.
No more Madais in dungeon cells immured
By priests intolerant. Ye are secured
From wrongs like these. To every hearth and home
The Word of God may safely, freely come;
And he who runs may read, if read he can,
How God gives freedom to enslav
(Janet Hamilton)
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Based on Topics: God Poems, Life Poems, Night Poems, Light Poems, Mind Poems, Sadness Poems, Soul Poems, Sleep Poems, Power Poems, Truth Poems, Liberty & Freedom PoemsBased on Keywords: succumbed, garibaldi, all-conquering, insures, deadening, intolerant, enslav, eschewing, gordian, papacy