Explore "An Appeal to Woman" by Sarah Louisa Forten Purvis on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
Oh, woman, woman, in thy brightest hour / Of conscious worth, of pride, of conscious power, / Oh, nobly dare to act a Christian's part, / That well befits a lovely woman's heart!
Dare to be good, as thou canst dare be great; / Despise the taunts of envy, scorn and hate; / Our "skins may differ," but from thee we claim / A sister's privilege, in a sister's name.
We are thy sisters -- God has truly said, / That of one blood, the nations he has made.
Oh, Christian woman, in a Christian land, / Canst thou unblushing read this great command?
Suffer the wrongs which wring our inmost heart / To draw one throb of pity on thy part; / Our "skins may differ," but from thee we claim / A sister's privilege, in a sister's name.
Oh, woman! -- though upon thy fairer brow / The hues of roses and of lilies glow --
These soon must wither in their kindred earth, / From whence the fair and dark have equal birth.
Let a bright halo o'er thy virtues shed / A lustre, that shall live when thou art dead; / Let coming ages learn to bless thy name / Upon the altar of immortal fame.