Still may the painter’s and the poet’s fire To aid thy pencil, and thy verse conspire!
Seems as if Wheatley is thoroughly impressed by the artists talents. She classifies the work as "deathless glories" meaning their beauty and significance will overcome death
May peace with balmy wings your soul invest! But when these shades of time are chas’d away, And darkness ends in everlasting day,
Trying to express the idea of how an artists death will be followed by a lack of producing art. Their work and fame die with them.
When first thy pencil did those beauties give, And breathing figures learnt from thee to live, How did those prospects give my soul delight, A new creation rushing on my sight? Still, wond’rous youth!
Here she is embracing youth and the wonderful, simple, and joyous moments associated with learning new things.
That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too:
The poem continues with this religious theme but makes a mockery of it. Wheatley questions and is surprised at the idea of there being a God because of how the way black people were treated during slavery and in general.
Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain,May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train. Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Print this page Email this page More About this Poem Related
Here she tries to demonstrate how just because their skin may be different, they should be expected as everyone is going to eventually be joined together in the "angelic train"
Till some lov'd object strikes her wand'ring eyes,Whose silken fetters all the senses bind,And soft captivity involves the mind.
My favorite part of the poem. Here she describes her wandering eyes and how easily something can capture attention. Thus, this captivates her mind and she begins to imagine.
Her cheeks all glowing with celestial dies,While a pure stream of light o'erflows the skies.The monarch of the day I might behold,And all the mountains tipt with radiant gold,But I reluctant leave the pleasing views,
Wheatley here has a way with words. Such strong and vivid imagery used in describing her emotions.
Imagination! who can sing thy force?
This stanza takes the reader on the journey of imagination. Wheatley describes the depths and the places our imagination can take us which is quite beautiful.
Thy various works, imperial queen, we see,
This stanza starts off on a lighthearted tone which then reveals itself as having some sarcasm. There is shift when Wheatley transitions into the next stanza as it becomes more serious.
By you is manhood taught
I understood this as it is the mothers duty to teach about "manhood." This is interesting you would think it would be taught by the father but the mother in reality does most of the teaching and raising.
Woman of nerve and thought,
I took this as a women having thoughts of her own that differentiate from the norm means she has the nerve or audacity.
Give, rich men, proud and free,
We are brought back to the title and theme of the poem. It is up to women to "give" all we have even out child's "costliest gem."
O friend with heavy urn, What offering bear you on?
Here she questions what is burdening her friend as she asks "what offering bear you on"
To-day another virgin paint; Where with the lily once she stood Show now the new beatitude.
Many connections to religion through the stanzas including this one.
Of silver beauty beyond stain, Clasping a flower for our land, A sheathëd lily in her hand.
Continuous comparisons to weapons such as silver and sheathed which goes into the next stanza when she talks about swords.
To-day a mother crowned with pain,
A mother is in pain at the loss of their child. Interesting use of "crowned" as I think of when a mother is giving birth and crowning. Could be the subliminal connection.
To the young dead we consecrate These lives that now we dedicate.
This line is bittersweet she is saying the memory of these individuals will live on as people will "dedicate" their lives to them.
Under the flowers my soldier lies!
I think here she is trying to say how someone they know is buried beneath the flowers which has been upsetting them.
Fade swiftly then, thou lingering year,
Here she wants the year to go by "swiftly" as it has been "lingering." The year has been slowly dragging on for her.
DROP, falling fruits and crispëd leaves,
Even before Adams says its Autumn, we can pick up on the fall tone through the opening line.
I am the loveliness of the earth;
This line is very beautifully written and is an interesting contrast to the last line. The speaker explains how they are some sort light but their presence is at the "dark."
We are all children lost, of one great race, Sighing for light,
Now she brings it back and focuses it on how "we are all children lost." She is trying to emphasize how we are all in search of the same thing.
Behold the child,
Here she brings attention to a child who is in need of "angels' food." The child appears to be sort of upset as she says their "heart at strife" meaning they are in some sort of struggle.
My heart is searching for thee,
The opening line sets a tone of the speaker searching for something which is a guide.
I wish my Sun may never set, but burn
Here she is calling her husband the sun again. She requests the sun never sets again meaning she never wants her husbands love and warmth to be away from her.
Then view those fruits which through thy heat I bore? Which sweet contentment yield me for a space, True living Pictures of their Fathers face.
Although her husband is not around, her children are a heartwarming reminder of his features. They are "pictures of their Fathers face."
My Sun is gone so far in’s Zodiack,
Here she is comparing the Sun to her husband. She depicts how "his warmth" caused her "to melt." When she is not around him she becomes cold and has "chilled limbs."
My head, my heart, mine Eyes, my life, nay more, My joy, my Magazine of earthly store, If two be one, as surely thou and I,
Bradstreet begins the poem with dramatic hyperboles and what is hers is ultimately his. There are no doubts that they are one.
And kiss this paper for thy loves dear sake, Who with salt tears this last Farewel did take.
These lines were most touching to read as she hopes for her husband to look back on this poem she left as she wrote it with "salt tears." The writing style presents a very solemn tone as the mothers love for her husband runs very deep.
And if thou love thyself, or loved’st me,These o protect from step Dames injury.
She is explaining how if he loved her or even himself then he would protect her babies from harm.
Yet love thy dead, who long lay in thine arms.
She wants to be loved after all this as she had "long lay in thine arms," meaning they had a long commitment and connection together which she does not want to be forgotten.
If any worth or virtue were in me, Let that live freshly in thy memory
She wants her husband to remember her in a positive light and keep the good memories to "live freshly."
How soon, my Dear, death may my steps attend,
During the approaching moments of child birth, the mother dwells on the idea of death. Here she is thinking about her husband and the possibility of her dying during childbirth.
Then while we live, in love let’s so perseverpersever Both to continue steadfastly, and in the Theological sense to remain in a state of grace. An earlier spelling of the word “persevere.”, That when we live no more, we may live ever.
Here she wants to love one another till death so the feeling can live forever. The last couplet ends in a rhyme to match the rest of the poem.
If ever two were one, then surely we.
The first lines set the tone and theme of the poem which are about love and marriage.
I prizeprize Value thy love more than whole mines of gold, Or all the riches that the Eastthe East East Indies, southeast Asia, including India; the English East India Company began in 1600. doth hold.
I enjoy how intensely she describes her love for her husband. She continues to use exaggeration to describe how deeply her love runs through saying things such as prizing love over all riches.
In Criticks hands, beware thou dost not come; And take thy way where yet thou art not known,
She moves on to her fears about critics grabbing hold of her work as her need for perfection cripples her thoughts.
I wash’d thy face, but more defects I saw, And rubbing off a spot, still made a flaw.
Here it becomes more clear of the extended metaphor that this "child" is the really the authors feelings about their work. By "wash'd thy face, but more defects I saw" she means the more she reworked and revised, she was still displeased with the outcome.
Yet being mine own, at length affection would Thy blemishes amend,
Talking about through showing affection then maybe she could fix or "amend" them
At thy return my blushing was not small,
The mother is very embarrassed when reunited with their child as she was left "blushing"
Who after birth didst by my side remain, Till snatched from thence by friends, less wise than true,
The speaker expresses how while her child remained by her side, they were then taken away by friends who ultimately tarnished their reputation