Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, POEMS ON THE SLAVE TRADE: 3, by ROBERT SOUTHEY


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POEMS ON THE SLAVE TRADE: 3, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Oh he is worn with toil! The big drops run
Last Line: A sable brother writhes in silent woe.
Subject(s): Abolitionists; Slavery; Anti-slavery; Serfs


Oh he is worn with toil! the big drops run
Down his dark cheek; hold -- hold thy merciless hand,
Pale tyrant! for beneath thy hard command
O'erwearied Nature sinks. The scorching sun,
As pitiless as proud prosperity,
Darts on him his full beams; gasping he lies
Arraigning with his looks the patient skies,
While that inhuman trader lifts on high
The mangling scourge. Oh ye who at your ease
Sip the blood-sweetened beverage! thoughts like these
Hap'ly ye scorn: I thank thee Gracious God!
That I do feel upon my cheek the glow
Of indignation, when beneath the rod
A sable brother writhes in silent woe.





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