Whittier, John Greenleaf. "Hymn".

Author's Note

Written for the meeting of the Anti-Slavery Society, at Chatham Street Chapel, New York, held on the fourth of the seventh month, 1834.

Summary and Analysis

An anti-slavery poem and at the same time a devotional poem, as the speaker addresses God.

The speaker addresses the God of the chosen and bids him a humble prayer. He observes that His children are varied in form due to His will. Then he thanks God for the gifts He provides us with, including not only fruits and grain, but also peace and freedom.

He laments that under the wings of Freedom there are still chain-bound slaves who find no joy and no hope, as they are not provided with God's written word. He pleads God to provide his love and his promise to the fettered and rush the time, so that the day would come when the slaves would be free.