An Hymn to the Morning
The poem is a tribute to the beauty of nature and the power of God's creation. It describes the morning sunrise and the speaker's awe at its majesty. The poem also touches on themes of hope, renewal, and the cyclical nature of life.
By Phillis Wheatley · First published 1773 · Genre: Poetry, Lyric, Nature · 216 words
First lines
Attend my lays, ye ever honour'd nine, Assist my labours, and my strains refine; In smoothest numbers pour the notes along, For bright Aurora now demands my song.
Aurora hail, and all the thousand dies, Which deck thy progress through the vaulted skies: The morn awakes, and wide extends her rays, On ev'ry leaf the gentle zephyr plays; Harmonious lays the feather'd race resume, Dart the bright eye, and shake the painted plume.
Ye shady groves, your verdant gloom display
To shield your poet from the burning day: Calliope awake the sacred lyre, While thy fair sisters fan the pleasing fire: The bow'rs, the gales, the variegated skies
What this Textopian page supports
An Hymn to the Morning is listed on Textopian as a poem by Phillis Wheatley, dated 1773 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Phillis Wheatley
- Date: 1773 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric, Nature, Religious, Romanticism
- Length: 216 words
- Structure: 1 section, 8 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- Work identity for An Hymn to the Morning by Phillis Wheatley
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Discussion starters
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Similar titles
- An Hymn To The Evening by Phillis Wheatley
- To Hope by John Keats
- Benedicite by John Greenleaf Whittier
- Gossamer by Georgia Douglas Johnson
- The Butterflys Day by Emily Dickinson
- Early One Morning by Edward Thomas
Genres
- Poetry — The work is structured in verse and employs poetic devices such as meter and rhyme.
- Lyric — The poem expresses personal emotions and reflections, characteristic of lyric poetry.
- Nature — The themes revolve around the beauty of nature and the morning, highlighting natural imagery.
- Religious — The invocation of muses and references to divine inspiration suggest a spiritual dimension.
Tags
Poetry · American Literature · 18th Century · African American · Female Author · Nature · Morning · Sunrise · Beauty · Praise · Devotion · Spirituality
More by Phillis Wheatley
- To Maecenas (1733)
- On Virtue (1773)
- To the University of Cambridge, in New-England (1737)
- To the King's most Excellent Majesty. 1768 (1773)
- On being Brought from Africa to America (1773)
- On the Death of the Rev. Dr. Sewell. 1769 (1773)
- On the Death of the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield. 1770 (1770)
- On the Death of a Young Lady of Five Years of Age (1773)
- All works by Phillis Wheatley