"To S. M., a Young African Painter, on Seeing His Work" by Phillis Wheatley

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend June 29, 2019   To S. M., a Young African Painter, on Seeing His Works   Phillis Wheatley

To show the lab'ring bosom's deep intent, And thought in living characters to paint, 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! each noble path pursue; On deathless glories fix thine ardent view: Still may the painter's and the poet's fire, To aid thy pencil and thy verse conspire! And may the charms of each seraphic theme Conduct thy footsteps to immortal fame! High to the blissful wonders of the skies Elate thy soul, and raise thy wishful eyes. Thrice happy, when exalted to survey That splendid city, crown'd with endless day, Whose twice six gates on radiant hinges ring: Celestial Salem blooms in endless spring.    Calm and serene thy moments glide along, And may the muse inspire each future song! Still, with the sweets of contemplation bless'd, May peace with balmy wings your soul invest! But when these shades of time are chas'd away, And darkness ends in everlasting day, On what seraphic pinions shall we move, And view the landscapes in the realms above? There shall thy tongue in heav'nly murmurs flow, And there my muse with heav'nly transport glow; No more to tell of Damon's tender sighs, Or rising radiance of Aurora's eyes; For nobler themes demand a nobler strain, And purer language on th' ethereal plain. Cease, gentle Muse! the solemn gloom of night Now seals the fair creation from my sight.            This poem is in the public domain. Published in Poem-a-Day on June 29, 2019, by the Academy of American Poets. About This Poem   "To S. M., a Young African Painter, on Seeing His Works" was published in Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (Cox and Berry, 1773).   Born in 1753 in Senegal, Africa, enslaved, and brought to New England in 1761, Phillis Wheatley became one of the most renowned poets in eighteenth-century America. She is the author of Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral (Cox and Berry, 1773). She died on December 5, 1784. Poetry by Wheatley   Complete Writings (Penguin Classics, 2001) "Conversation with Phillis Wheatley #14" by Tiana Clark "Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats "Before a Painting" by James Weldon Johnson June Guest Editor: Samiya Bashir   Thanks to Samiya Bashir, author of Field Theories (Nightboat Books, 2017), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month's weekdays. Read a Q&A with Bashir about her curatorial approach this month and find out more about our guest editors for the year. Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038