To William E. Channing
After reading Channing's book, the speaker praises his words as blows for freedom and urges him to expose slavery until the country rejects it. A prefatory note explains that the address predates the author's knowledge of Channing's death and is retained as a tribute.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Abolitionist Literature, Lyric Poetry, Tribute · 265 words
First lines
[The following poems, with one exception, were written at sea, in the latter part of October, 1842. I had not then heard of Dr. Channing's death. Since that event, the poem addressed to him is no longer appropriate. I have decided, however, to let it remain as it was written, in testimony of my admiration for a great and good man.]
The pages of thy book I read, / And as I closed each one, / My heart, responding, ever said, / "Servant of God! well done!"
Well done! Thy words are great and bold; / At times they seem to me, / Like Luther's, in the days of old, / Half-battles for the free.
Genres
- Abolitionist Literature — The speaker demands the rejection of an institution whose whips and yokes insult humanity and urges Channing to record its suffering.
- Lyric Poetry — Five rhymed quatrains express the speaker's response to a book and directly address its writer.
- Tribute — The verses commend Channing's writing, and the prefatory note explicitly preserves them as testimony of admiration after his death.
Tags
slavery · abolition · freedom · religious imagery · poetic tribute
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To William E. Channing is listed on Textopian as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, dated Date unknown.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Abolitionist Literature, Lyric Poetry, Tribute
- Length: 265 words
- Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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