Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour:

England hath need of thee: she is a fen

Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,

Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,

Have forfeited their ancient English dower

Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;

Oh! raise us up, return to us again;

And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power.

Thy soul was like a Star, and dwelt apart:

Thou hadst a voice whose sound was like the sea:

Pure as the naked heavens, majestic, free,

So didst thou travel on life’s common way,

In cheerful godliness; and yet thy heart

The lowliest duties on herself did lay.

–

London, 1802

BY William WORDSWORTH

সারাংশঃ
কবিতায় কবি তার সময়ের ইংল্যান্ডের রাজনৈতিক, ধর্মীয় ও আর্থ-সামাজিক অবস্থার সমালোচনা করেছেন। কবিতায় বক্তা জন মিল্টনকে জীবিত ফিরে আসার জন্য অনুরোধ করেন কারণ ইংল্যান্ডের এখন তাকে প্রয়োজন। অতীতে ইংল্যান্ড ছিল সুখ, ধর্ম, শিল্প-সাহিত্যের জায়গা। কিন্তু বর্তমানে ইংল্যান্ডের প্রতিটি প্রতিষ্ঠানই দুর্নীতিগ্রস্ত ও স্বার্থপর হয়ে উঠেছে। তারা তাদের পুরনো মূল্যবোধ হারিয়ে ফেলেছে। তাই, বক্তা মিল্টনকে ফিরে আসতে এবং তাদের পুরানো মূল্যবোধ ও নৈতিকতা পুনরুদ্ধারে সাহায্য করতে বলেছেন । তিনি বিশ্বাস করেন যে মিল্টন তার আভিজাত্য এবং গুণ দিয়ে ইংল্যান্ডকে বাঁচাতে সক্ষম।

Summmary:
In the poem, the poet criticizes the political, religious and socioeconomic state of England of his time. The speaker of the poem begs John Milton to come back to life because England now needs him. In the past, England was a place of happiness, religion, art and literature. But at present every institution of England has become corrupt and selfish. They have lost their old values. So, the speaker asks Milton to come back and to help them to restore the old values and morality. He believes that Milton is able to save England with his nobility and virtue.

Generic Form:
This poem is a Petrarchan sonnet, It is divided into two sections, The first section consists of first eight lines which is called octave. The second section consists of the last six lines which is called sestet. The octave of the poem states a problem that the people of England are no longer happy because every institution of England has become corrupt and selfish. The sestet relieves the tension by stating that the people of England now need to exercise the qualities which Milton possessed. The rhyme scheme is abbaabba-cddece.This makes it a Petrarchan sonnet.

Theme:
Patriotism ts the central theme of the poem. The poem is about the lost values of England, The poet compares England to a fen of stagnant water, Once it was a seat of values and morality. But at present all the institutions of England such as church, army, writers have become corrupt. The people of England have become selfish. The poet 1s deeply moved by the deplorable condition of England, It is his patriotism which urges him to beg Milton to come back to life and to guide them to regain the old morality. Thus, patriotism is the main theme of the poem.

Tone:
The tone of this poem is melancholic. The speaker of the poem regrets that England has ost its old values and morality. He compares England to a fan of stagnant water. Every institution in England is corrupt. People are selfish. They have no Peace of mind. He asks the soul of Milton to correct the current Waywardness of England. So, the tone of the poem is melancholic.

Figure of speech :
The poet uses a good number of figures of speech, The poet opens the poem with an apostrophe. He addresses the English Poet, Milton, and begs him to give them manner, virtue, freedom and power. The poet also uses similes. He says that Milton’s soul] is “like a star”, his voice is “like the sound of a sea”, “pure as the naked heavens”. The poet uses metaphor when he compares England to a fan of stagnant water. There is metonymy in the lines, “Altar, sword, and pen,/ Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower.”

London 1802 Bangla Summary

London 1802  English Summary

London 1802 Theme London 1802 Tone

London 1802 Generic form London 1802 Figure of speech