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London, 1802 by William Wordsworth

Milton! though should'st be living at this hour:
England hath need of thee: she is a fen
Of stagnant waters: alter, 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.

The poem is about grievance and mourning for someone or perhaps even for a way of life. With the death, only the unfortunate aspects of life were left in the world. The speaker describes how the one who has died brought every bit of perfection into the world and without them it is all gone. The one who has died is described as "Thy soul was like a star, and dwelt apart". The unique qualities, all of which are good, are missed by those left behind. The speaker admits that everyone left behind are simply "selfish men" who desire nothing more than for the old ways to be restored.

The use of a sonnet for the structure of the poem allows for the two ways of life to be emphasized. The rhyme scheme is abba abba cddece. The change in rhyme scheme changes when the ways of life change.