Hark! What light through yonder window breaks?

Oh, Willie boy, my old friend Shakes,

If only you could see old England now,

No more the green and pleasant land,

Where lovers wandered hand in hand,

And horses tilled the fields before the plough,

The ploughs these days are tractor drawn,

And diesel engines break the morn,

Before the birds have even time to sing,

The valley’s once so picturesque,

Are built upon and those still left,

Are landfill sights devoid of anything,

Save for the rubbish we discard,

And our forests now are by and large,

Felled to make room for our motorways,

Ten million cars and trucks, they believe,

Pollute the very air we breathe,

For speed is paramount it seems these days,

No more does darkness rule the night,

Our streets are lit by electric light,

And above their glare the stars are sadly dimmed,

Where lovers once gazed up above,

And to each other pledged their love,

That he’d be true her and her to him,

Yet even those most sacred vows,

Have changed these days and now allow,

Men to marry men and girls to girls,

Oh Willie you’d be brought to tears,

How England’s changed throughout the years,

Since we were blessed to have you in the world,

Oh Willie boy, I’ll tell you this,

The land you knew does not exist,

Save in the plays and sonnets that you left,

If you could see old England now,

Brought to her knees, her shoulders bowed,

I think my friend that you would pray for death,

No more are wars fought man to man,

Upon the field with sword in hand,

Where heroes are respected and renowned,

Our heroes are not recognized,

Our politicians tell us lies,

And you could not call, “Cry God for Harry”, now,

Though some would answer to the call,

Of all for one and one for all,

So many more these days would question why,

Oh Willie boy, I tell you true ,

This land is not the one you knew,

And if you saw it now, I think you’d cry,

The architecture of your day,

By concrete blocks has been replaced,

And tarmac scars the land from coast to coast,

The Empire that you knew is gone,

We’re ruled by Europe and beyond,

And there’s so little left these days of which to boast,

Every race and creed is here,

And more are coming every year,

We are a multiracial culture now,

Yet we do not live in harmony,

As some might hope or have us believe,

We’re as the horse was once yoked to the plough,

Told what to do and what to think,

Our human rights are near extinct,

And filmed in almost every move we make,

We’re taxed till we can ill afford,

To pay for food or clothes or board,

Yet told that this is done for our own sake,

If you could see the disrespect,

Or the old ones that we now neglect,

Your poets heart would shatter in your breast,

A more woeful play, you could not write,

To match old England’s present plight,

And if you knew could not remain at rest,

Oh Willie boy, my friend the Bard,

I tell you now these days are hard,

And little chance they won’t get harder still,

If you could see the acid rain,

Destroy what beauty still remains,

You’d open up your veins with your own quill.

By S.E.Ralph

2-4-2007