Phillis Wheatley

Phillis Wheatley Poems

'Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,
Taught my benighted soul to understand
That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too:
Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.
...

I.

Lo! for this dark terrestrial ball
Forsakes his azure-paved hall
...

THY various works, imperial queen, we see,
How bright their forms! how deck'd with pomp
by thee!
Thy wond'rous acts in beauteous order stand,
...

ATTEND my lays, ye ever honour'd nine,
Assist my labours, and my strains refine;
In smoothest numbers pour the notes along,
For bright Aurora now demands my song.
...

Through airy roads he wings his instant flight
To purer regions of celestial light;
Enlarg'd he sees unnumber'd systems roll,
Beneath him sees the universal whole,
...

O Thou bright jewel in my aim I strive
To comprehend thee. Thine own words declare
Wisdom is higher than a fool can reach.
I cease to wonder, and no more attempt
...

FROM dark abodes to fair etherial light
Th' enraptur'd innocent has wing'd her flight;
On the kind bosom of eternal love
She finds unknown beatitude above.
...

I.
ADIEU, New-England's smiling meads,
Adieu, the flow'ry plain:
I leave thine op'ning charms, O spring,
...

On Mrs. W-----'s Voyage to England.

I.
WHILE raging tempests shake the shore,
...

I.

A bird delicious to the taste,
On which an army once did feast,
...

MNEME begin. Inspire, ye sacred nine,
Your vent'rous Afric in her great design.
Mneme, immortal pow'r, I trace thy spring:
Assist my strains, while I thy glories sing:
...

SOON as the sun forsook the eastern main
The pealing thunder shook the heav'nly plain;
Majestic grandeur! From the zephyr's wing,
Exhales the incense of the blooming spring.
...

O'erwhelming sorrow now demands my song:
From death the overwhelming sorrow sprung.
What flowing tears? What hearts with grief opprest?
What sighs on sighs heave the fond parent's breast?
...

SAMUEL, Chap. xvii.

YE martial pow'rs, and all ye tuneful nine,
Inspire my song, and aid my high design.
...

GRIM monarch! see, depriv'd of vital breath,
A young physician in the dust of death:
Dost thou go on incessant to destroy,
Our griefs to double, and lay waste our joy?
...

WHO taught thee conflict with the pow'rs of night,
To vanquish satan in the fields of light?
Who strung thy feeble arms with might unknown,
How great thy conquest, and how bright thy crown!
...

Say, heav'nly muse, what king or mighty God,
That moves sublime from Idumea's road?
In Bosrah's dies, with martial glories join'd,
His purple vesture waves upon the wind.
...

WHILE others chant of gay Elysian scenes,
Of balmy zephyrs, and of flow'ry plains,
My song more happy speaks a greater name,
Feels higher motives and a nobler flame.
...

WHILE deep you mourn beneath the cypress-shade
The hand of Death, and your dear daughter
laid
In dust, whose absence gives your tears to flow,
...

HAIL, happy saint, on thine immortal throne,
Possest of glory, life, and bliss unknown;
We hear no more the music of thy tongue,
Thy wonted auditories cease to throng.
...

Phillis Wheatley Biography

Phillis Wheatley was the first published African American poet and first African-American woman whose writings helped create the genre of African American literature.

Life of Phillis Wheatley

Although the date and place of her birth are not documented, scholars believe that Phillis Wheatley was born in 1753 likely in present-day Gambia. At age seven she was made a slave and later was purchased by the Wheatley family of Boston. The family were the first ones to encourage Phillis’ writing and to teach her how to write and read. In 1768, Wheatley wrote "To the King's Most Excellent Majesty" in which she praised George III for repealing the Stamp Act. However, as the American Revolution gained strength, Wheatley's writing turned to themes from the point of view of the colonists. In 1773, she published her first book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, which brought her fame and people like George Washington praising her work. In the same year in November, Phillis was emancipated. She met and married John Peters and they had two babies that died. Wheatley's husband abandoned her in 1784, when she was pregnant again. She struggled to support herself and had completed a second volume of poetry, but no publisher seemed interested in it. Phillis Wheatley died from complications of childbirth in the same year, at the age of 31. Her newborn infant died several hours later. By then she was living in a boarding house in poverty. Phillis Wheatley died from complications of childbirth at the age of 31. Her newborn infant died several hours later. By then she was living in a boarding house in poverty. In 1768, Wheatley wrote "To the King's Most Excellent Majesty" in which she praised George III for repealing the Stamp Act. However, as the American Revolution gained strength, Wheatley's writing turned to themes from the point of view of the colonists. John Wheatley's grave in Granary Burying Ground. Phillis Wheatley's grave is unmarkedIn 1770 Wheatley wrote a poetic tribute to George Whitefield that received widespread acclaim. Wheatley's poetry overwhelmingly revolves around Christian themes, with many poems dedicated to famous personalities. Over one-third consist of elegies, the remainder being on religious, classical, and abstract themes. She rarely mentions her own situation in her poems. One of the few which refers to slavery is "On being brought from Africa to America": Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land, Taught my benighted soul to understand That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too: Once I redemption neither sought nor knew. Some view our sable race with scornful eye, "Their colour is a diabolic dye." Remember, Christians, Negroes, black as Cain, May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train.´ Many white Americans of the time found it hard to believe that an African woman could write poetry, and Wheatley had to defend her literary ability in court in 1772. She was examined by a group of Boston luminaries, including John Erving, Reverend Charles Chauncey, John Hancock, Thomas Hutchinson, the governor of Massachusetts, and his lieutenant governor Andrew Oliver. They concluded she had written the poems ascribed to her and signed an attestation which was published in the preface to her book Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral published in Aldgate, London in 1773. The book was published in London because publishers in Boston had refused to publish the text. Wheatley and her master's son, Nathanial Wheatley, went to London, where Selina, Countess of Huntingdon and the Earl of Dartmouth helped with the publication. Through her poetry, Wheatley is credited with helping found African American literature. In 1778, African American poet Jupiter Hammon wrote an ode to Wheatley. Hammon never mentions himself in the poem, but it appears that in choosing Wheatley as a subject, he was acknowledging their common bond.)

The Best Poem Of Phillis Wheatley

On Being Brought From Africa To America

'Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,
Taught my benighted soul to understand
That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too:
Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.
Some view our sable race with scornful eye,
"Their colour is a diabolic die."
Remember, Christians, Negro's, black as Cain,
May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train.

Phillis Wheatley Comments

Claudia Krizay 25 April 2011

One poet I am not crazy about is Phillis Wheatley Maybe it is because I can't relate to her work. I am not saying she is a bad poet- to others she might be great. Maybe I am the stupid one because her writing doesn't appeal to me- but I think no poet is loved by everyone and nobody is perfect. I am sure a lot of people dislike my poetry and I am interested in why they don't just as I am interested in why others do like it. It is all in the eyes of the beholder but Phillis Wheatley's poetry I just cannot relate to. I won't say why because other readers might call me a racist. But people have to be willing to accept negative comments as well as the positive ones! ! !

317 454 Reply
Sanskruti Siras 08 December 2011

thanks for the witty poem sir....

312 308 Reply
Linda Stroud 27 February 2006

This poem is awesome Phillis. You are a good poet, I really enjoyed thath one especially.Keep up the good work. Truly Awesome.............

368 155 Reply
Alex Galarneau 18 September 2013

Charisse, were you a slave? were you ripped from our family and forced into labor and beaten and raped? no. it is perfectly acceptable for a person to have an opinion about a poem that does not appeal to them. It does not make someone a racist at all. She didn't say she hated the poem because the author was black or that she thought that Phillis was a bad writer because of it. THANK YOU.

190 166 Reply
Non Manet In Æternum 02 December 2013

Alex Galarneau, unless you come from a slave ancestry, you have no way to empathize with Charisse's point of view. I think its people like you who poo poo the madness that transpired in much of slavery and holocaust. In other words, how can you put yourself into someone else's shoes when you don't have an iota of inclination into their history?

189 157 Reply
ava 11 January 2022

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1 0 Reply
a.m 11 January 2022

i like this

0 1 Reply
keyli 08 January 2021

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1 0 Reply
tek 07 January 2021

no

1 1 Reply
Norma Watson 01 July 2020

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