The poem portrays Edwin Percy Whipple as a man who has lost his faith and sense of purpose after being disillusioned by the world's cruelty and injustice. He is depicted as a melancholic figure, struggling to find meaning in life. The speaker describes him as having been once full of hope and idealism, but now he is empty and cynical.
By John Greenleaf Whittier · First published 1848 · Genre: Biography, Essay, Literary Criticism