Analysis of To The Honourable T. H. Esq; On the Death Of His Daughter

Phillis Wheatley 1753 (West Africa) – 1784 (Boston)



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,
And racks your bosom with incessant woe,
Let Recollection take a tender part,
Assuage the raging tortures of your heart,
Still the wild tempest of tumultuous grief,
And pour the heav'nly nectar of relief:
Suspend the sigh, dear Sir, and check the groan,
Divinely bright your daughter's Virtues shone:
How free from scornful pride her gentle mind,
Which ne'er its aid to indigence declin'd!
Expanding free, it sought the means to prove
Unfailing charity, unbounded love!
  She unreluctant flies to see no more
Her dear-lov'd parents on earth's dusky shore:
Impatient heav'n's resplendent goal to gain,
She with swift progress cuts the azure plain,
Where grief subsides, where changes are no more,
And life's tumultuous billows cease to roar;
She leaves her earthly mansion for the skies,
Where new creations feast her wond'ring eyes.
  To heav'n's high mandate cheerfully resign'd
She mounts, and leaves the rolling globe behind;
She, who late wish'd that Leonard might return,
Has ceas'd to languish, and forgot to mourn;
To the same high empyreal mansions come,
She joins her spouse, and smiles upon the tomb:
And thus I hear her from the realms above:
"Lo! this the kingdom of celestial love!
"Could ye, fond parents, see our present bliss,
"How soon would you each sigh, each fear dismiss?
"Amidst unutter'd pleasures whilst I play
"In the fair sunshine of celestial day,
"As far as grief affects an happy soul
"So far doth grief my better mind controul,
"To see on earth my aged parents mourn,
"And secret wish for T-----! to return:
"Let brighter scenes your ev'ning-hours employ:
"Converse with heav'n, and taste the promis'd joy"


Scheme ABACCDDEEFFGGHIJJKKJJLLGGMNOPIIQQRRSCNMTT
Poetic Form
Metre 1111010101 011101110 1 0111011111 0111010101 101010101 0101010111 1011011001 010110101 0101110101 0101110101 1111010101 11111101 0101110111 0101000101 1111111 011101111 0101010111 111110101 1101110111 0110010111 1101010101 1101010111 111110001 1101010101 1111110101 1111000111 10111101 1101010101 0111010101 1101010101 11110110101 1111111101 01110111 001110101 1111011101 111111011 111111101 010111101 11011111001 1011010101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,751
Words 298
Sentences 8
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 41
Lines Amount 41
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 1,392
Words per stanza (avg) 296
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 08, 2023

1:35 min read
124

Phillis Wheatley

Phillis Wheatley was both the second published African-American poet and first published African-American woman. Born in Senegambia, she was sold into slavery at the age of 7 and transported to North America. She was purchased by the Wheatley family of Boston, who taught her to read and write, and encouraged her poetry when they saw her talent. The publication of her Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral brought her fame both in England and the American colonies; figures such as George Washington praised her work. During Wheatley's visit to England with her master's son, the African-American poet Jupiter Hammon praised her work in his own poem. Wheatley was emancipated after the death of her master John Wheatley. She married soon after. Two of her children died as infants. After her husband was imprisoned for debt in 1784, Wheatley fell into poverty and died of illness, quickly followed by the death of her surviving infant son. more…

All Phillis Wheatley poems | Phillis Wheatley Books

0 fans

Discuss this Phillis Wheatley poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "To The Honourable T. H. Esq; On the Death Of His Daughter" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/29392/to-the-honourable-t.-h.-esq%3B-on-the-death-of-his-daughter>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    12
    hours
    13
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    What are the first eight lines of a sonnet called?
    A octane
    B octopus
    C octet
    D octave