Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, DEATH OF CHARLES FOLLEN, by JOHN PIERPONT


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

DEATH OF CHARLES FOLLEN, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: O, not for thee weep; we weep
Last Line: But thy pure spirit is in bliss.
Subject(s): Abolitionists; Follen, Charles (1796-1840); Slavery; Anti-slavery; Serfs


(Written for the Funeral Service in Commemoration of the Life and
Character of CHARLES FOLLEN, before the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery
Society, April 17th, 1840. Address by Samuel J. May)

O, NOT for thee weep; -- we weep
For her, whose lone and long caress,
And widow's tears, from fountains deep,
Fall on the early fatherless.
'T is for ourselves we mourn; -- we mourn
Our blighted hopes, our wishes crossed,
Thy strength, that hath our burdens borne,
Thy love, thy smile, thy counsels lost.
'T is for the slave we sigh: -- we sigh
To think thou sleepest on a shore
Where thy calm voice and beaming eye
Shall plead the bondman's cause no more.
'T is for our land we grieve: -- we grieve
That Freedom's fane, Devotion's shrine,
And Faith's fresh altar, thou should'st leave,
And they all lose a soul like thine.
A soul like thine -- so true a soul,
Wife, friends, our land, the world must miss:
The waters o'er thy corse may roll,
But thy pure spirit is in bliss.






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