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A New National Anthem by Percy Bysshe Shelley

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A New National Anthem is Shelley’s bold reimagining of "God Save the King," where he replaces the monarch with Liberty as the genuine queen deserving of our praise.

Poet
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Core theme
Faith
The PoemFull text

A New National Anthem

Percy Bysshe Shelley

[Published by Mrs. Shelley, “Poetical Works”, 1839, 2nd edition.] 1. God prosper, speed, and save, God raise from England’s grave Her murdered Queen! Pave with swift victory The steps of Liberty, _5 Whom Britons own to be Immortal Queen. 2. See, she comes throned on high, On swift Eternity! God save the Queen! _10 Millions on millions wait, Firm, rapid, and elate, On her majestic state! God save the Queen! 3. She is Thine own pure soul _15 Moulding the mighty whole,— God save the Queen! She is Thine own deep love Rained down from Heaven above,— Wherever she rest or move, _20 God save our Queen! 4. ‘Wilder her enemies In their own dark disguise,— God save our Queen! All earthly things that dare _25 Her sacred name to bear, Strip them, as kings are, bare; God save the Queen! 5. Be her eternal throne Built in our hearts alone— _30 God save the Queen! Let the oppressor hold Canopied seats of gold; She sits enthroned of old O’er our hearts Queen. _35 6. Lips touched by seraphim Breathe out the choral hymn ‘God save the Queen!’ Sweet as if angels sang, Loud as that trumpet’s clang _40 Wakening the world’s dead gang,— God save the Queen! *** SONNET: ENGLAND IN 1819. [Published by Mrs. Shelley, “Poetical Works”, 1839, 1st edition.] An old, mad, blind, despised, and dying king,— Princes, the dregs of their dull race, who flow Through public scorn,—mud from a muddy spring,— Rulers who neither see, nor feel, nor know, But leech-like to their fainting country cling, _5 Till they drop, blind in blood, without a blow,— A people starved and stabbed in the untilled field,— An army, which liberticide and prey Makes as a two-edged sword to all who wield,— Golden and sanguine laws which tempt and slay; _10 Religion Christless, Godless—a book sealed; A Senate,—Time’s worst statute, unrepealed,— Are graves from which a glorious Phantom may Burst, to illumine our tempestuous day. ***

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

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§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

A New National Anthem is Shelley’s bold reimagining of "God Save the King," where he replaces the monarch with Liberty as the genuine queen deserving of our praise. He argues that true sovereignty lies with freedom and the people, rather than with kings and their corrupt regimes. Essentially, it’s a protest song masquerading as a hymn.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. God prosper, speed, and save, / God raise from England's grave

    Editor's note

    Shelley starts by echoing the rhythm and wording of the official national anthem but quickly turns it on its head. England's 'grave' suggests a country in turmoil, and the 'murdered Queen' isn't a literal monarch; rather, it represents Liberty itself—an ideal that the ruling class has destroyed.

  2. See, she comes throned on high, / On swift Eternity!

    Editor's note

    Liberty appears as a victorious, almost god-like presence. Shelley positions her on 'swift Eternity' instead of a golden throne, implying that her power is both timeless and universal, independent of earthly systems. The multitude of 'millions on millions' awaiting her represents the people, united and prepared.

  3. She is Thine own pure soul / Moulding the mighty whole,—

    Editor's note

    Here, Shelley speaks directly to God, contending that Liberty isn't something humans created but rather a divine force — the very essence of God expressed in the world. This is a daring theological stance: it removes the monarchy's assertion of divine right and grants that authority to freedom instead.

  4. 'Wilder her enemies / In their own dark disguise,—

    Editor's note

    Shelley asks God to confuse and reveal Liberty's enemies — the kings and rulers who mask their tyranny with ceremony and law. The line 'Strip them, as kings are, bare' delivers a pointed critique: when kings are stripped of their grandeur, they are shown to be just ordinary, corrupt men with nothing sacred.

  5. Be her eternal throne / Built in our hearts alone—

    Editor's note

    This is the poem's political heart. Liberty's throne isn't a physical seat of power; it's a space within each individual. The oppressor can hold on to his 'canopied seats of gold' — those are empty. True authority resides in the hearts of the people, and that's where Liberty has always reigned.

  6. Lips touched by seraphim / Breathe out the choral hymn

    Editor's note

    The final stanza transforms the anthem into something sacred. The reference to seraphim-touched lips recalls the biblical prophet Isaiah, who had his lips cleansed by an angel so he could proclaim God's message. Shelley presents the call for Liberty as a divine expression, and the 'trumpet's clang / Wakening the world's dead gang' draws on Last Judgement imagery to imply a worldwide awakening.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone remains passionate and hymn-like throughout — Shelley intentionally mimics the rhythm of religious worship to channel political radicalism. Beneath the reverence lies a deep sense of righteous anger, particularly in the fourth stanza when he demands that tyrants be exposed. Yet, the prevailing emotion is one of uplifting, almost ecstatic hope: this poem truly expresses a belief that liberation is on the horizon.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The murdered Queen
Liberty personified. She has been 'murdered' by the ruling class but isn't permanently gone — the poem calls for her to rise again. Portraying Liberty as a queen cleverly turns the royalist anthem Shelley is mocking on its head.
Canopied seats of gold
The physical symbols of monarchy and aristocratic power. Gold here doesn't signify worth but rather corruption and empty show — the oppressor can keep his gilded chair because it holds no real value compared to the throne established in human hearts.
Lips touched by seraphim
A reference to Isaiah 6:6–7 describes a seraph cleansing the prophet's lips with a burning coal to enable him to convey divine truth. Shelley uses this imagery to sanctify the voices of those seeking freedom, positioning political dissent as a prophetic act.
The trumpet's clang
Inspired by the Christian imagery of the Last Judgement, where a trumpet sounds to awaken the dead, Shelley transforms it into a rallying cry for political awakening — the 'world's dead gang' represents the masses who have been kept passive and are now called to rise.

§06Historical context

Historical context

Shelley penned this poem around 1820, during a time of severe political repression in Britain. Under Lord Liverpool's government, habeas corpus was suspended, the Six Acts were enacted to stifle dissent, and in 1819, cavalry charged a peaceful reform rally at St Peter's Field in Manchester, an event that quickly became known as the Peterloo Massacre. The official anthem, "God Save the King," represented the establishment that Shelley loathed. By rewriting it line by line, he engaged in a form of literary sabotage, taking the regime's ceremonial language and redirecting it toward Liberty and the people. The poem didn't see publication during his lifetime; like much of his most radical work, it was published posthumously in Mrs. Shelley's 1839 edition of his collected poems.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

Who is the 'murdered Queen' Shelley is talking about?

She isn't a historical queen in the traditional sense. The 'murdered Queen' refers to Liberty — the symbol of freedom — which Shelley thought had been crushed by Britain's kings and ruling elite. By portraying Liberty as a queen, he also makes a pointed parody of the official anthem that prays for the king.

Is this poem actually meant to be sung?

Yes, it was intended that way. Shelley crafted it to match the metre of 'God Save the King' so it could be sung to the same melody. It was a piece of political propaganda aimed at replacing the royalist anthem with a more radical one during public events.

What does 'Wilder her enemies / In their own dark disguise' mean?

'Wilder' in this context refers to causing bewilderment or confusion. Shelley is pleading with God to use the rulers' own deceitful tactics against them — to allow their façades of legitimacy and ceremony to be the elements that ultimately reveal and bring about their downfall.

Why does Shelley bring God into a poem about political freedom?

Shelley presents a theological argument: Liberty isn't just a human political concept; it's a divine one, representing God's soul actively influencing the world. This challenges the monarchy's assertion of ruling by divine right. If God's genuine purpose is Liberty, then kings who stifle it are working against God, not in His favor.

Why wasn't this published while Shelley was alive?

Publishing it would have been truly risky. Following the Peterloo Massacre and the Six Acts of 1819, the British government was cracking down on radical writers and publishers for seditious libel. Shelley was already being watched. His widow, Mary Shelley, managed to publish it safely in 1839, seventeen years after his death.

What is the 'seraphim' reference about in the last stanza?

It originates from the Book of Isaiah in the Bible, where a six-winged angel (a seraph) touches the prophet's lips with a burning coal to cleanse him for delivering God's message. Shelley draws on this imagery to suggest that anyone who calls out for Liberty is expressing a form of sacred truth — their voice has been made holy.

How does this poem connect to 'God Save the King'?

It directly parodies the structure of the original. Shelley mimics the meter, the refrain pattern, and even particular phrases from the official anthem, swapping out every royalist sentiment for a radical one. The king transforms into Liberty, while loyalty to the crown shifts to loyalty to the people. It's crafted to be instantly recognizable as the anthem, only to surprise the listener with its true message.

What does 'Time's worst statute, unrepealed' mean in the companion sonnet?

Shelley is talking about the laws that barred Catholics and Nonconformists from serving in Parliament and holding public office — namely the Test Acts and similar laws. He labels them 'Time's worst statute' because they had been enacted for more than a century, and Parliament continuously declined to repeal them, finally doing so in 1828–29, after Shelley's death.

Citation

Cite this poem

MLA

Shelley, Percy Bysshe. "A New National Anthem." Storgy, https://storgy.com/poems/a-new-national-anthem-percy-bysshe-shelley/.

APA

Shelley, P. B. (n.d.). A new national anthem. Storgy. https://storgy.com/poems/a-new-national-anthem-percy-bysshe-shelley/

TeacherAP Lit Q1 scaffold — preview

Row A — Thesis

1 pt

Read together, Shelley's 'A New National Anthem' and 'Sonnet: England in 1819' construct a single, devastating argument: that England's legitimate sovereign is not a hereditary monarch but Liberty herself, and that the rotten institutions …

  • Row B — Evidence + Commentary4 pts
  • Row C — Sophistication1 pt
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