The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1888-03-30
.sTIE SLAVES COMPLAINT.


''THE u SLAVES COMPLAINT.
Gam l sadly cast aside,
On misfortune's rugged tdeY
VIII the world my pains deride
Forever
Must dwell in Savery's night,
And all pleasure take its flight
Far beyond my feeble sight,
Forever?
Worst of all, must hope grow dim
And withhold her cheering beam?
Rather let me sleep and dream
'Somethng still my heart SURVEYS.
Cropping through this dreary maze;
is it Hope?-then burn and blaze
Forever,
Leave me not Il wretch confined
Altogether lame and blind
Unto gross despair consigned,
Forever,
Heaven! in whom can l confide?
CanSt thou not for all provide?
Condescend to be my guide
Forever:
And when transient life shall end
Oh; may some kind eternal friend
Bid me from Servitude ascend,
Fore. er,''
The next is one of his earlier efforts in
that style of verse-making which after
wards won for him a livelihood and repu-
'o'iOi 't' Ciif'pCi LII. II Is tlllltIcu
GLOVE.
'W hilst tracing thy visage, i sink in emotion,
For no other damsel so wond rous see;
my looks are SO pleasing, thy charms so
amazing,
think of no other my true love, but thee,
with heart burning rapture gaze on thy
beauty,
And fly like bird to the boughs of n tree;
lhy looks are so pleasing, tAy charms 40
amazing,
fancy no other, my true love, but thee
'Thus oft in the valley think and wonder
Why cannot maid with her lover agree?
lhy looks are SO pleasing, thy charms so
amazing,
pine for no other, my true love, but thee.
I'D fly from thy frowns with heart full of
Return, pretty damsel, and smile thou on
BY every endeavor, I'll try thee forever;
And languish until am fancied by thee -
This, too, was composed before he had
learned to write, though when it was
written he had learned to read. The laws
of the State forbade the teaching of slaves,
and his master knew nothing of his at
tanments until he was shown some of his
verses
The following stanza is from one Of his
poems of this same period:
Come. melting Pity, from afar,
Ana break TINS VAST enormous bar,
Between n wretch and thee:
Purchase n few short days of time,
And bid "a Vassal soar sublime,
On wings of Liberty.
At Chapel HILL while employed as
servant, he accumulated by his work for
the students, and through appeals to their
sympathy, a small sum of money, with
which he hoped in time to buy his freedom
and a passage to Liberia; but after the
death Of his patron, DR.. Caldwell, he gave
himself up to drink, and his little savings
with all that he could earn or beg, went
for liquor. a favOrite scheme of his for
raising money was to write some verses
setting forth the sickness and distress Of
his family and closing with an appeal to
the students to 'lend a helping hand to
the old unfortunate bard, which he would
take from room to room and read and his
old employers in versifcation nearly al
ways responded literally.
| have on my table as | write small
volume of his verses published in 1888,
and early in the fties a small duodecimO
volume of his poems was published in
Boston along with his autobiography.
Several novels and numerous essays of
his, of about the same date, have also been
published here.
About the same time he addressed the
following verses to Horace Greedy, and
they appeared in the New York Tribune.
"THE POETS PETITION.
"Bewailng mid the ruthless wave
lift my feeble hand to thee,
Let me no longer be a slave,
But drop the fetters and be free
"Why " II regardless Fortune sleep
Deaf 10 my pentential prayer,
Or leave the struggling bard to weep,
Alas and languish in despair?
''He is an eagle void of wings
Aspiring to the mountain height,
Yet in the vale aloud he sings
For PHYS aid to give him flight.
"Then listen all who never felt
| For fettered genius heretofore,
Let hearts of petrifactiOn melt,
And bid the gifted negro soar"
l send you what happen to have at
hand at the moment Perhaps some of
your readers who were at Chapel Hill in
his day, or some of his former employers
! in versfication, can tell us some interest
ing things about him.
COLLIER COBB.
| -"Dear Mr.. Simmer: Please excuse nv
leaving without giving the usual fort
nights notice, but | have received per-
emptory summons to go to heaven to set
the title page of the Book of Life'" This