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The Poems of Phillis Wheatley

The raging tempest of their grief control,
And spread the dawn of glory through the soul,
To eye the path the saint departed trod,
And trace him to the bosom of his God.

To a Lady on the Death of Her Husband

Grim monarch! see, deprived of vital breath
A young physician in the dust of death!
Dost thou go on incessant to destroy?
The grief to double and lay waste to joy?
Enough thou never yet wast known to say
Tho' millions die the vassals of thy sway.
Nor youth, nor science, nor the ties of love,
Nor aught on earth thy flinty heart can move.
The friend, the spouse, from his dire dart to save,
In vain we ask the sovereign of the grave.
Fair mourner, there see thy lov'd Leonard laid,
And o'er him spread the deep impervious shade;
Clos'd are his eyes and heavy fetters keep
His senses bound in never-waking sleep,
Till time shall cease, till many a starry world,
Shall fall from heav'n, in dire confusion hurl'd;
Till Nature in her final wreck shall lie,
Till her last groan shall rend the azure sky:

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The Poems of Phillis Wheatley

Not till then his active soul shall claim,
His body, a divine immortal frame.
  But, see the softly stealing tears apace,
Pursue each other down the mourner's face;
But cease thy tears, bid ev'ry sigh depart,
And cast the load of anguish from thine heart;
From the cold shell of his great soul arise,
And look beyond, thou native of skies!
There fix thy view where fleeter than the wind
Thy Leonard mounts, and leaves the earth behind.
Thyself prepare to pass the vale of night,
To join forever on the hills of light;
To thine embrace, this joyful spirit moves,
To thee, the partner of his earthly loves;
He welcomes thee to pleasures more refin'd
And better suited to th' immortal mind.


Goliath of Gath
I Samuel, Chapter XVII

Ye martial pow'rs, and all ye tuneful nine,
Inspire my song, and aid my high design.
The dreadful scenes and toils of war I write,
The ardent warriors, and the fields of fight:
You best remember, and you best can sing

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Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-06-26 15:35:37 ---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-06-26 13:38:24