{
 "id": "ambrose-bierce/the-statesmen",
 "title": "The Statesmen",
 "ordinal": null,
 "subtitle": null,
 "poet": "Ambrose Bierce",
 "poet_slug": "ambrose-bierce",
 "language": "en",
 "book": "Shapes of Clay",
 "book_slug": "shapes-of-clay",
 "book_kind": "volume",
 "sequence": 59,
 "container": "Shapes of Clay",
 "epigraph": null,
 "first_published": {
  "year": 1903,
  "venue": "Shapes of Clay (1903)",
  "note": "First located printing is this volume; an earlier periodical printing has not been established.",
  "uncertain": false,
  "sources": [
   "https://archive.org/details/shapesofclay00bier"
  ]
 },
 "source": {
  "kind": "standard-ebooks",
  "repo": "standardebooks/ambrose-bierce_poetry",
  "file": "shapes-of-clay.xhtml",
  "upstream": [
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4793",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12658",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12977",
   "https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15599",
   "https://archive.org/details/collectedworksof04bierrich",
   "https://archive.org/details/collectedworksof05bierrich",
   "https://archive.org/details/collectedworksof08bierrich",
   "https://archive.org/details/shapesofclay00bier",
   "https://archive.org/details/blackbeetlesinam00bier",
   "https://archive.org/details/literarycalifor05mighgoog",
   "https://archive.org/details/cali07webb"
  ],
  "rights": "public domain (SE dedication; underlying text pre-1931)"
 },
 "verification": {
  "level": "structural-only",
  "last_checked": "2026-08-20"
 },
 "stats": {
  "n_lines": 52,
  "n_stanzas": 13,
  "n_parts": 0,
  "longest_line_chars": 42,
  "max_indent": 2
 },
 "site_ready": true,
 "parts": [],
 "stanzas": [
  [
   {
    "text": "How blest the land that counts among",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Her sons so many good and wise,",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "To execute great feats of tongue",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "When troubles rise.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Behold them mounting every stump",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "By speech our liberty to guard.",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Observe their courage⁠—see them jump,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "And come down hard!",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "“Walk up, walk up!” each cries aloud,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "“And learn from me what you must do",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "To turn aside the thunder cloud,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The earthquake too.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "“Beware the wiles of yonder quack",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Who stuffs the ears of all that pass.",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "I⁠—I alone can show that black",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Is white as grass.”",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "They shout through all the day and break",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The silence of the night as well.",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "They’d make⁠—I wish they’d go and make⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Of Heaven a Hell.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "A advocates free silver, B",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Free trade and C free banking laws.",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Free board, clothes, lodging would from me",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Win warm applause.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Lo, D lifts up his voice: “You see",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The single tax on land would fall",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "On all alike.” More evenly",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "No tax at all.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "“With paper money” bellows E",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "“We’ll all be rich as lords.” No doubt⁠—",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "And richest of the lot will be",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "The chap without.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "As many “cures” as addle wits",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Who know not what the ailment is!",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Meanwhile the patient foams and spits",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Like a gin fizz.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Alas, poor Body Politic,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Your fate is all too clearly read:",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "To be not altogether quick,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Nor very dead.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "You take your exercise in squirms,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Your rest in fainting fits between.",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "’Tis plain that your disorder’s worms⁠—",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Worms fat and lean.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "Worm Capital, Worm Labor dwell",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Within your maw and muscle’s scope.",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "Their quarrels make your life a Hell,",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "Your death a hope.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ],
  [
   {
    "text": "God send you find not such an end",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "To ills however sharp and huge!",
    "indent": 1
   },
   {
    "text": "God send you convalesce! God send",
    "indent": 0
   },
   {
    "text": "You vermifuge.",
    "indent": 2
   }
  ]
 ]
}