While emulation in each bosom glow'd; / Thou didst, in strains of eloquence refin'd, / Inflame the soul, and captivate the mind.
— Wheatley, Phillis (c.1753-1784)
Place of Publication
Boston
Publisher
Sold by Ezekiel Russell and John Boyles
Date
1770
Metaphor
While emulation in each bosom glow'd; / Thou didst, in strains of eloquence refin'd, / Inflame the soul, and captivate the mind.
Metaphor in Context
Hail, happy Saint, on thy immortal throne!
To thee complaints of grievance are unknown;
We hear no more the music of thy tongue,
Thy wonted auditories cease to throng.
Thy lessons in unequal'd accents flow'd!
While emulation in each bosom glow'd;
Thou didst, in strains of eloquence refin'd,
Inflame the soul, and captivate the mind.
Unhappy we, the setting Sun deplore!
Which once was splendid, but it shines no more;
He leaves this earth for Heav'n's unmeasur'd height,
And worlds unknown, receive him from our sight;
There WHITEFIELD wings, with rapid course his way,
And sails to Zion, through vast seas of day.
(ll. 1-14)
To thee complaints of grievance are unknown;
We hear no more the music of thy tongue,
Thy wonted auditories cease to throng.
Thy lessons in unequal'd accents flow'd!
While emulation in each bosom glow'd;
Thou didst, in strains of eloquence refin'd,
Inflame the soul, and captivate the mind.
Unhappy we, the setting Sun deplore!
Which once was splendid, but it shines no more;
He leaves this earth for Heav'n's unmeasur'd height,
And worlds unknown, receive him from our sight;
There WHITEFIELD wings, with rapid course his way,
And sails to Zion, through vast seas of day.
(ll. 1-14)
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
At least 4 entries in ESTC (1770, 1771).
An Elegiac Poem, on the Death of That Celebrated Divine, and Eminent Servant of Jesus Christ, the Late Reverend, and Pious George Whitefield [...] By Phillis, a Servant Girl of 17 Years of Age, Belonging to Mr. J. Wheatley, of Boston. (Boston: Sold by Ezekiel Russell, in Queen-Street, and John Boyles, in Marlboro’-Street, 1770). <Link to ESTC>
Reading ed. Vincent Carretta, Unchained Voices (Lexington: University of Kentucky, 2004).
An Elegiac Poem, on the Death of That Celebrated Divine, and Eminent Servant of Jesus Christ, the Late Reverend, and Pious George Whitefield [...] By Phillis, a Servant Girl of 17 Years of Age, Belonging to Mr. J. Wheatley, of Boston. (Boston: Sold by Ezekiel Russell, in Queen-Street, and John Boyles, in Marlboro’-Street, 1770). <Link to ESTC>
Reading ed. Vincent Carretta, Unchained Voices (Lexington: University of Kentucky, 2004).
Date of Entry
02/09/2011
