Analysis of To A Lady On Her Coming To North-America With Her Son, For The Recovery Of Her Health

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



INDULGENT muse! my grov'ling mind inspire,
And fill my bosom with celestial fire.
See from Jamaica's fervid shore she moves,
Like the fair mother of the blooming loves,
When from above the Goddess with her hand
Fans the soft breeze, and lights upon the land;
Thus she on Neptune's wat'ry realm reclin'd
Appear'd, and thus invites the ling'ring wind.
  "Arise, ye winds, America explore,
"Waft me, ye gales, from this malignant shore;
"The Northern milder climes I long to greet,
"There hope that health will my arrival meet."
Soon as she spoke in my ideal view
The winds assented, and the vessel flew.
  Madam, your spouse bereft of wife and son,
In the grove's dark recesses pours his moan;
Each branch, wide-spreading to the ambient sky,
Forgets its verdure, and submits to die.
  From thence I turn, and leave the sultry plain,
And swift pursue thy passage o'er the main:
The ship arrives before the fav'ring wind,
And makes the Philadelphian port assign'd,
Thence I attend you to Bostonia's arms,
Where gen'rous friendship ev'ry bosom warms:
Thrice welcome here! may health revive again,
Bloom on thy cheek, and bound in ev'ry vein!
Then back return to gladden ev'ry heart,
And give your spouse his soul's far dearer part,
Receiv'd again with what a sweet surprise,
The tear in transport starting from his eyes!
While his attendant son with blooming grace
Springs to his father's ever dear embrace.
With shouts of joy Jamaica's rocks resound,
With shouts of joy the country rings around.


Scheme ABCDEEFFGGHHIIJKLLMMFFNOPMQQRRSSTT
Poetic Form
Metre 010111101 01110101010 1101010111 1011010101 1101010101 1011010101 11111101 0101010111 0111010001 1111110101 0101011111 1111110101 111101011 01100101 1011011101 0011100111 11110101001 01110111 1111010101 01011101001 010101011 0100100101 11011111 11101101 1101110101 111101011 110111011 0111111101 0101110101 0100110111 1101011101 1111010101 111101011 1111010101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 1,466
Words 255
Sentences 12
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 34
Lines Amount 34
Letters per line (avg) 34
Words per line (avg) 7
Letters per stanza (avg) 1,164
Words per stanza (avg) 252
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:22 min read
113

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

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    "To A Lady On Her Coming To North-America With Her Son, For The Recovery Of Her Health" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 9 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/29384/to-a-lady-on-her-coming-to-north-america-with-her-son%2C-for-the-recovery-of-her-health>.

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