Help

John Greenleaf Whittier 1807 (Haverhill) – 1892 (Hampton Falls)



Dream not, O Soul, that easy is the task
Thus set before thee. If it proves at length,
As well it may, beyond thy natural strength,
Faint not, despair not. As a child may ask
A father, pray the Everlasting Good
For light and guidance midst the subtle snares
Of sin thick planted in life's thoroughfares,
For spiritual strength and moral hardihood;
Still listening, through the noise of time and sense,
To the still whisper of the Inward Word;
Bitter in blame, sweet in approval heard,
Itself its own confirming evidence
To health of soul a voice to cheer and please,
To guilt the wrath of the Eumenides.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

33 sec read
64

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBACDDCEFFGHD
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 598
Words 110
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

John Greenleaf Whittier

John Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. more…

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    "Help" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/22914/help>.

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