Every age and clime has been blessed with sweet singers, both in song
and verse. Many women have attained to rare excellence in each of these
lofty vocations. Among modern songsters Jenny Lind, Patti and Parepa
have won golden laurels. In verse Elizabeth Barrett Browning stands
pre-eminent. She not only honored her own English island home, but
sunny Italy, the land of her adoption, has been purified and sweetened
by the power of her verse. And with rare appreciation and devotion has
this land of poetry and art showered honors on this sweet singer.
That we, too, of the African race have equally shared in the gift of
the muses, having had sweet singers born among us, I have chosen for my
theme, “The Afro-American Woman in Verse.”
Have we not had among us Elizabeth Greenfield, “The Black Swan,”
and have we not now Madame Selika, Flora Batson, Madame Jones and
Madame Nellie Brown Mitchell? Crowned heads, as well as the uncrowned
populace, have delighted to do honor to many of the sweet singers of
our race. And have not two continents hung in breathless silence on
the melody floating heavenward from the lips of our Jubilee Singers?
That we have also among us those with rare talent for verse we hope to
prove in the limits of this short article.
During the year 1761 there sailed from Africa for America a slave ship.
Among its passengers was a little girl, then seven or eight years of
age. The following is from Williams’ “History of the Negro Race:” “She
was taken, with others, to the Boston slave market. There her modest
demeanor and intelligent countenance attracted the attention of Mrs.
John Wheatley, who purchased her. It was her intention to instruct
the child in ordinary domestic duties, but she afterward changed her
mind and gave her careful training in book knowledge. The aptness
of the child was a surprise to all who came in contact with her. In
sixteen months from her arrival she had learned the English language
so perfectly as to be able to read the most difficult portions of
Scripture with ease, and within four years she was able to correspond
intelligently. She soon learned to read and even translate from the
Latin. One of Ovid’s tales was her first attempt. It was published in
Boston and England and called forth much praise. Pious, sensitive and
affectionate by nature, Phyllis soon became endeared not only to the
family to whom she belonged, but to a large circle of friends. Mrs.
Wheatley was a benevolent woman, and took great care of Phyllis, both
of her health and education. Emancipated at the age of twenty, she
was taken to Europe by a son of Mrs. Wheatley.”... “She was heartily
welcomed by the leaders of society of the British metropolis, and
treated with great consideration. Under all the trying circumstances of
social life among the nobility and rarest literary genius of London,
this redeemed child of the desert coupled to a beautiful modesty the
extraordinary powers of an incomparable conversationalist. She carried
London by storm. Thoughtful people praised her, titled people dined
her, and the press extolled the name of Phyllis Wheatley, the African
poetess.... In 1773 she gave a volume of poems to the world. It was
published in London. It was dedicated to the Countess of Huntington,
with a picture of the poetess and a letter of recommendation, signed by
the Governor and Lieutenant-Governor of Boston. In 1776 she addressed
a poem to George Washington, which pleased the old warrior very much.
Unfortunately no copy of this poem can be found at the present date.”
In a letter, however, he wrote to Joseph Reed, bearing date of the 10th
of February, 1776, from Cambridge, Washington refers to it. He says: “I
recollect nothing else worth giving you the trouble of, unless you can
be amused by reading a letter and poem addressed to me by Miss Phyllis
Wheatley. In searching over a parcel of papers the other day, in order
to destroy such as were useless, I brought it to light again. At first,
with a view of doing justice to her poetical genius, I had a great mind
to publish the poem; but not knowing whether it might not be considered
rather as a mark of my own vanity than a compliment to her, I laid it
aside till I came across it again in the manner just mentioned.”
This gives the world an “inside” view of the brave old general’s
opinion of the poem and poetess; but the outside view, as expressed by
Washington himself to Miss Phyllis, is worthy of reproduction at this
point.
CAMBRIDGE, 28 February, 1776.
MISS PHILLIS:--Your favor of the 26th of October did not reach my
hands till the middle of December. Time enough you will say to
have given an answer ere this. Granted. But a variety of important
occurrences, continually interposing to distract the mind and
withdraw the attention, I hope will apologize for the delay, and
plead my excuse for the seeming but not real neglect. I thank you
most sincerely for your polite notice of me in the elegant lines
you enclosed; and however undeserving I may be of such encomium and
panegyric, the style and manner exhibit a striking proof of your
poetical talents; in honor of which, and as a tribute justly due to
you, I would have published the poem had I not been apprehensive
that, while I only meant to give the world this new instance of your
genius, I might have incurred the imputation of vanity. This, and
nothing else, determined me not to give it place in the public prints.
If you should ever come to Cambridge, or near headquarters, I shall
be happy to see a person so favored by the muses, and to whom nature
has been so liberal and beneficent in her dispensations.