The poem was inspired by a sermon about a missionary drowning in the Congo River, and it portrays the narrative of an isolated tribal community faced by outsiders. It's worth reading aloud to yourself, if only for a history lesson on racial views in the past. The poem is composed of 14 lines, which are further divided into two stanzas of 7 lines each. In this version based on King Leopold's instructions, we learn that the missionary is a white man who has traveled to the Congo to convert its people to Christianity. When he fails to return home, his family sends out search parties who find his body - but not his heart. They're unable to locate his grave, so they mark it with a small white stone as a reminder of what happened. This single incident causes turmoil within the community. One young woman decides to commit suicide rather than be forced to marry another man. Another tribe attacks and kills some of the men of the first tribe, while others join together to fight off the invaders. In the end, everyone realizes that violence is never the solution and they decide to make peace with each other. A new leader emerges who is known as the "poet-warrior" because of his skill with words and arms.