Sonnet to William Wilberforce, Esq.

William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)



Thy country, Wilberforce, with just disdain,
   Hears thee, by cruel men and impious, call'd
   Fanatic, for thy zeal to loose th' enthrall'd
    From exile, public sale, and slav'ry's chain.
   Friend of the poor, the wrong'd, the fetter-gall'd,
   Fear not lest labour such as thine be vain!
   Thou hast achiev'd a part; hast gain'd the ear
   Of Britain's senate to thy glorious cause;
   Hope smiles, joy springs, and tho' cold caution pause
  And weave delay, the better hour is near,
  That shall remunerate thy toils severe
  By peace for Afric, fenc'd with British laws.
    Enjoy what thou hast won, esteem and love
    From all the just on earth, and all the blest above!

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

37 sec read
146

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBABACDEFFEGG
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 677
Words 114
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

William Cowper

William Macquarie Cowper was an Australian Anglican archdeacon and Dean of Sydney. more…

All William Cowper poems | William Cowper Books

2 fans

Discuss the poem Sonnet to William Wilberforce, Esq. with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Sonnet to William Wilberforce, Esq." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/40104/sonnet-to-william-wilberforce,-esq.>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    3
    days
    9
    hours
    13
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "The Waste Land"?
    A T.S. Eliot
    B W.H. Auden
    C Ezra Pound
    D Sylvia Plath