Slavery "speculates with skill refin'd, / How deep a wound will stab the mind; / How far the spirit can endure / Calamity, that hopes no cure."
— Williams, Helen Maria (1759-1827)
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for T. Cadell
Date
1788
Metaphor
Slavery "speculates with skill refin'd, / How deep a wound will stab the mind; / How far the spirit can endure / Calamity, that hopes no cure."
Metaphor in Context
Ye noble minds! who o'er a sky
Where clouds are roll'd, and tempests fly,
Have bid the lambent lustre play
Of one pure, lovely, azure ray;
Oh, far diffuse its op'ning bloom,
And the wide hemisphere illume!
Ye, who one bitter drop have drain'd
From Slav'ry's cup, with horror stain'd;
Oh let no fatal dregs be found,
But dash her chalice on the ground:
Oh, while she links her impious chain,
And calculates the price of pain;
Weighs Agony in sordid scales,
And marks if Death, or Life prevails;
In one short moment, seals the doom
Of years, which anguish shall consume;
Decides how near the mangling scourge
May to the grave its victim urge,
Yet for awhile, with prudent care
The half-worn wretch, if useful, spare;
And speculates with skill refin'd,
How deep a wound will stab the mind;
How far the spirit can endure
Calamity, that hopes no cure;--
Ye! who can selfish cares forego,
To pity those which others know;
As Light, that from its centre strays,
To glad all Nature with its rays;
Oh! ease the pangs ye stoop to share,
And rescue millions from despair!--
(pp. 10-11, ll. 143-172)
Where clouds are roll'd, and tempests fly,
Have bid the lambent lustre play
Of one pure, lovely, azure ray;
Oh, far diffuse its op'ning bloom,
And the wide hemisphere illume!
Ye, who one bitter drop have drain'd
From Slav'ry's cup, with horror stain'd;
Oh let no fatal dregs be found,
But dash her chalice on the ground:
Oh, while she links her impious chain,
And calculates the price of pain;
Weighs Agony in sordid scales,
And marks if Death, or Life prevails;
In one short moment, seals the doom
Of years, which anguish shall consume;
Decides how near the mangling scourge
May to the grave its victim urge,
Yet for awhile, with prudent care
The half-worn wretch, if useful, spare;
And speculates with skill refin'd,
How deep a wound will stab the mind;
How far the spirit can endure
Calamity, that hopes no cure;--
Ye! who can selfish cares forego,
To pity those which others know;
As Light, that from its centre strays,
To glad all Nature with its rays;
Oh! ease the pangs ye stoop to share,
And rescue millions from despair!--
(pp. 10-11, ll. 143-172)
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
Only 1 entry in ESTC (1788).
Helen Maria Williams, A Poem on the Bill Lately Passed for Regulating the Slave Trade (London: Printed for T. Cadell, 1788). <Link to ECCO><Link to facsimile edition in Google Books>
Helen Maria Williams, A Poem on the Bill Lately Passed for Regulating the Slave Trade (London: Printed for T. Cadell, 1788). <Link to ECCO><Link to facsimile edition in Google Books>
Date of Entry
09/02/2011
