"The Patriot" is English poet Robert Browning's reflection on human fickleness and frailty. Only a year before he tells his tale, this dramatic monologue's speaker was honored as a patriotic hero; now, he's on his way to his execution for unspecified crimes, as vilified as he was once idolized. The winds of public opinion, the poem suggests, can shift in a moment—and people are often both changeable and cruel. This poem first appeared in Browning's 1855 collection Men and Women.
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The Full Text of “The Patriot”
I
1It was roses, roses, all the way,
2With myrtle mixed in my path like mad:
3The house-roofs seemed to heave and sway,
4The church-spires flamed, such flags they had,
5A year ago on this very day.
II
6The air broke into a mist with bells,
7The old walls rocked with the crowd and cries.
8Had I said, "Good folks, mere noise repels—
9But give me your sun from yonder skies!"
10They had answered, "And afterward, what else?"
III
11Alack, it was I who leaped at the sun,
12To give it my loving friends to keep!
13Naught man could do have I left undone:
14And you see my harvest, what I reap
15This very day, now a year is run.
IV
16There's nobody on the house-tops now—
17Just a palsied few at the windows set;
18For the best of the sight is, all allow,
19At the Shambles' Gate—or, better yet,
20By the very scaffold's foot, I trow.
V
21I go in the rain, and, more than needs,
22A rope cuts both my wrists behind;
23And I think, by the feel, my forehead bleeds,
24For they fling, whoever has a mind,
25Stones at me for my year's misdeeds.
VI
26Thus I entered, and thus I go!
27In triumphs, people have dropped down dead.
28"Paid by the World,—what dost thou owe
29Me?"—God might question; now instead,
30'Tis God shall repay: I am safer so.
The Full Text of “The Patriot”
I
1It was roses, roses, all the way,
2With myrtle mixed in my path like mad:
3The house-roofs seemed to heave and sway,
4The church-spires flamed, such flags they had,
5A year ago on this very day.
II
6The air broke into a mist with bells,
7The old walls rocked with the crowd and cries.
8Had I said, "Good folks, mere noise repels—
9But give me your sun from yonder skies!"
10They had answered, "And afterward, what else?"
III
11Alack, it was I who leaped at the sun,
12To give it my loving friends to keep!
13Naught man could do have I left undone:
14And you see my harvest, what I reap
15This very day, now a year is run.
IV
16There's nobody on the house-tops now—
17Just a palsied few at the windows set;
18For the best of the sight is, all allow,
19At the Shambles' Gate—or, better yet,
20By the very scaffold's foot, I trow.
V
21I go in the rain, and, more than needs,
22A rope cuts both my wrists behind;
23And I think, by the feel, my forehead bleeds,
24For they fling, whoever has a mind,
25Stones at me for my year's misdeeds.
VI
26Thus I entered, and thus I go!
27In triumphs, people have dropped down dead.
28"Paid by the World,—what dost thou owe
29Me?"—God might question; now instead,
30'Tis God shall repay: I am safer so.
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“The Patriot” Summary
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“The Patriot” Themes
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The Fickleness of Public Opinion
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Human Weakness and Divine Mercy
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Patriot”
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Lines 1-5
It was roses, roses, all the way,
With myrtle mixed in my path like mad:
The house-roofs seemed to heave and sway,
The church-spires flamed, such flags they had,
A year ago on this very day. -
Lines 6-7
The air broke into a mist with bells,
The old walls rocked with the crowd and cries. -
Lines 8-10
Had I said, "Good folks, mere noise repels—
But give me your sun from yonder skies!"
They had answered, "And afterward, what else?" -
Lines 11-12
Alack, it was I who leaped at the sun,
To give it my loving friends to keep! -
Lines 13-15
Naught man could do have I left undone:
And you see my harvest, what I reap
This very day, now a year is run. -
Lines 16-20
There's nobody on the house-tops now—
Just a palsied few at the windows set;
For the best of the sight is, all allow,
At the Shambles' Gate—or, better yet,
By the very scaffold's foot, I trow. -
Lines 21-25
I go in the rain, and, more than needs,
A rope cuts both my wrists behind;
And I think, by the feel, my forehead bleeds,
For they fling, whoever has a mind,
Stones at me for my year's misdeeds. -
Lines 26-27
Thus I entered, and thus I go!
In triumphs, people have dropped down dead. -
Lines 28-30
"Paid by the World,—what dost thou owe
Me?"—God might question; now instead,
'Tis God shall repay: I am safer so.
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“The Patriot” Symbols
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The Sun
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“The Patriot” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Irony
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Imagery
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Hyperbole
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Repetition
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Metaphor
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Enjambment
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Alliteration
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Assonance
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“The Patriot” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Myrtle
- Church-spires
- Repels
- Yonder skies
- They had answered
- Alack
- Naught
- Reap
- Palsied
- Shambles' Gate
- Scaffold
- I trow
- More than needs
- Fling
- Misdeeds
- Triumphs
- What dost thou
- 'Tis God shall repay
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Patriot”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“The Patriot” Speaker
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“The Patriot” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “The Patriot”
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More “The Patriot” Resources
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External Resources
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The Poem Aloud — Listen to a reading of the poem.
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Browning at the British Library — Learn more about Browning (and read more of his poems) at the British Library's website.
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A Short Biography — Learn more about Browning's life and work at the poetry foundation.
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Browning's Voice — Listen to a rare recording of Browning himself reading another of his poems aloud (and forgetting how it goes!).
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Browning Today — Read an appreciation of Browning honoring his legacy on his 200th birthday.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Robert Browning
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