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RIGHT in the track where Sherman | |
Ploughed his red furrow, | |
Out of the narrow cabin, | |
Up from the cellars burrow, | |
Gathered the little black people, | 5 |
With freedom newly dowered, | |
Where, beside their Northern teacher, | |
Stood the soldier, Howard. | |
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He listened and heard the children | |
Of the poor and long-enslavëd | 10 |
Reading the words of Jesus, | |
Singing the songs of David. | |
Behold!the dumb lips speaking, | |
The blind eyes seeing! | |
Bones of the Prophets vision | 15 |
Warmed into being! | |
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Transformed he saw them passing | |
Their new lifes portal! | |
Almost it seemed the mortal | |
Put on the immortal. | 20 |
No more with the beasts of burden, | |
No more with stone and clod, | |
But crowned with glory and honor | |
In the image of God! | |
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There was the human chattel | 25 |
Its manhood taking; | |
There, in each dark, bronze statue, | |
A soul was waking! | |
The man of many battles, | |
With tears his eyelids pressing, | 30 |
Stretched over those dusky foreheads | |
His one-armed blessing. | |
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And he said: Who hears can never | |
Fear for or doubt you; | |
What shall I tell the children | 35 |
Up North about you? | |
Then ran round a whisper, a murmur, | |
Some answer devising; | |
And a little boy stood up: General, | |
Tell em we re rising! | 40 |
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O black boy of Atlanta! | |
But half was spoken: | |
The slaves chain and the masters | |
Alike are broken. | |
The one curse of the races | 45 |
Held both in tether: | |
They are rising,all are rising, | |
The black and white together! | |
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O brave men and fair women! | |
Ill comes of hate and scorning: | 50 |
Shall the dark faces only | |
Be turned to morning? | |
Make Time your sole avenger, | |
All-healing, all-redressing; | |
Meet Fate half-way, and make it | 55 |
A joy and blessing!
1869. | |
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