The
Slave's Dream
- Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow
The Slave's dream is a beautiful poem by Longfellow which
depicts the poet's support to abolish slavery. This poem is about an African
slave who dreams of his native land and family.
At the beginning of the poem, the slave is very tired from the
day’s work and lies on the ground. As he sleeps, the image of his native land
comes to his mind. The poet describes the beauty of the land through various
images. The “lordly Niger” flows through the country. The land is filled with
trees and the animals.
The slave perceives himself as a King in his native land. He fondly
visualizes his "dark eyed" queen and his children whom he is missing.
The very thought makes him shed tears. His sleep is disturbed by the ride of
the king through the forest along the river. He hears the king’s “caravan descends
the mountain-road”. He is able to hear the shout of liberty by “myriad tongues”
in the forest. The desert, “blasts” a claim to uninhibited freedom. Both the forest
and the desert are personified, by the poet, here.
The poet ends the poem in an ironic note. He announces that the
slave is liberated from the clutches of tyranny. He will not feel the pain of
the whip and the burning heat any more as his soul breaks away the fetters
leaving behind the enslaved body. Only death brings solace to the slaves. Here,
the poet presents the painful reality that the slaves can only dream about
their freedom.
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