Lit2Go

Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral

by Phillis Wheatley

Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral

Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, is a collection of poetry by Phillis Wheatley, the first African American woman ever to be published.

Source: Wheatley, P. (1773). Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral.London, England: A. Bell.

"To Maecenas."
MAECENAS, you, beneath the myrtle shade,
"On Virtue."
O Thou bright jewel in my aim I strive
"To the University of Cambridge, in New England."
WHILE an intrinsic ardor prompts to write,
"To the King's Most Excellent Majesty. 1768."
YOUR subjects hope, dread Sire––
"On Being Brought From Africa."
'TWAS mercy brought me from my Pagan land,
"On the Death of the Rev. Dr. Sewell. 1769."
ERE yet the morn its lovely blushes spread,
"On the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield. 1770."
HAIL, happy saint, on thine immortal throne,
"On the Death of a Young Lady of Five Years of Age."
FROM dark abodes to fair etherial light
"On the Death of a Young Gentleman."
WHO taught thee conflict with the pow'rs of night,
"To a Lady on the Death of Her Husband."
GRIM monarch! see, depriv'd of vital breath,
"Goliath of Gath. 1 Samuel, Chap. xvii"
YE martial pow'rs, and all ye tuneful nine,
"Thoughts on the Works of Providence."
A R I S E, my soul, on wings enraptur'd, rise
"To a Lady on the Death of Three Relations."
WE trace the pow'r of Death from tomb to tomb,
"To a Clergyman on the Death of His Lady."
WHERE contemplation finds her sacred spring,
"An Hymn to the Morning."
ATTEND my lays, ye ever honour'd nine,
"An Hymn to the Evening."
SOON as the sun forsook the eastern main
"On Isaiah lxiii. 1-8."
SAY, heav'nly muse, what king or mighty God,
"On Recollection."
MNEME begin. Inspire, ye sacred nine,
"On Imagination."
THY various works, imperial queen, we see,
"A Funeral Poem on the Death of C. E. an Infant Aged Twelve Months."
THROUGH airy roads he wings his instant flight
"To Captain H. D. of the 65th Regiment."
SAY, muse divine, can hostile scenes delight
"To the Right Hon. William, Earl of Dartmouth, His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for North-America."
HAIL, happy day, when, smiling like the morn,
"Ode to Neptune."
On Mrs. W–––––'s Voyage to England.
"To a Lady on Her Coming to North America with Her Son, for the Recovery of Her Health."
INDULGENT muse! my grov'ling mind inspire,
"To a Lady on Her Remarkable Preservation in a Hurricane in North Carolina."
THOUGH thou did'st hear the tempest from afar,
"To a Lady and Her Children, on the Death of Her Son and their Brother."
O'ERWHELMING sorrow now demands my song:
"To a Gentleman and Lady on the Death of the Lady's Brother and sister, and a Child of the Name of Avis, aged one Year."
ON Death's domain intent I fix my eyes,
"On the Death of Dr. Samuel Marshall. 1771."
THROUGH thickest glooms look back, immortal shade,
"To a Gentleman on His Voyage to Great-Britain, for the Recovery of His Health."
WHILE others chant of gay Elysian scenes,
"To the Rev. Dr. Thomas Amory on Reading His Sermons on Daily Devotion, in which that Duty is Recommended and Assisted."
TO cultivate in ev'ry noble mind
"On the Death of J. C. an Infant."
NO more the flow'ry scenes of pleasure rife,
"An Hymn to Humanity. To S. P. G. Esq."
LO! for this dark terrestrial ball
"To the Hon. T. H. Esq; on the Death of His Daughter."
WHILE deep you mourn beneath the cypress–shade
"To S. M. a Young African Painter, on seeing His Works."
TO show the lab'ring bosom's deep intent,
"To His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor, on the Death of His Lady. March 24, 1773."
ALL–Conquering Death! by thy resistless pow'r,
"A Farewell to America. To Mrs. S. W."
ADIEU, New–England's smiling meads,
"A Rebus by I. B.
A BIRD delicious to the taste,
"An Answer to the Rebus, by the Author of these Poems."
THE poet asks, and Phillis can't refuse
  • Year Published: 1773
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States of America
  • Readability:
    • Flesch–Kincaid Level: 2.5
  • Word Count: 12,657
  • Genre: Poetry
  • Keywords: 18th century literature, american authors, poetry
  • ✎ Cite This
  • Share |