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To J. P.

By John Greenleaf Whittier

Topics: classic

John Pierpont, the eloquent preacher and poet of Boston.     Not as a poor requital of the joy     With which my childhood heard that lay of thine,     Which, like an echo of the song divine     At Bethlehem breathed above the Holy Boy,     Bore to my ear the Airs of Palestine,     Not to the poet, but the man I bring     In friendship's fearless trust my offering     How much it lacks I feel, and thou wilt see,     Yet well I know that thou Last deemed with me     Life all too earnest, and its time too short     For dreamy ease and Fancy's graceful sport;     And girded for thy constant strife with wrong,     Like Nehemiah fighting while he wrought     The broken walls of Zion, even thy song     Hath a rude martial tone, a blow in every thought!

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"John Pierpont, the eloquent preacher and poet of Boston...."

Exploring the themes of classic, John Greenleaf Whittier delivers a powerful performance in "To J. P."... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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"John Pierpont, the eloquent preacher and poet of B..." by John Greenleaf Whittier

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John Greenleaf Whittier

About John Greenleaf Whittier

John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892) was an American Quaker poet and abolitionist whose poems—including "Snow-Bound" and "Barbara Frietchie"—celebrate New England life and moral courage. He was one of the Fireside Poets and a leading voice against slavery.

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"Gallery of sacred pictures manifold,     A minster..."

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