Poems by a Slave


Read by Elsie Selwyn

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This book of poems, published originally in 1829 and reprinted in 1837, was the second book written by George M. Horton. It addresses themes of love, Christianity, slavery, death, and nature.

Horton was remarkable for several reasons: he was the first Black person and the first enslaved person to publish a book in the United States. He was the first enslaved person to protest their bondage through poetry. He is also the author of the first book of literature published in North Carolina. Horton attempted to gain enough money from publishing his poetry to buy his freedom. Unfortunately, this did not work, and Horton remained enslaved until 1865 when he was 67 years old. He traveled to Philadelphia but, disappointed with the racial discrimination even in the North, he emigrated to Liberia in 1867. - Summary by Elsie Selwyn (0 hr 47 min)

Chapters

Explanation and Preface to the Second Edition 6:47 Read by Elsie Selwyn
Praise of Creation 2:32 Read by Elsie Selwyn
On the Silence of a Young Lady 2:18 Read by Elsie Selwyn
The Lover's Farewell 1:42 Read by Elsie Selwyn
On Liberty and Slavery 2:05 Read by Elsie Selwyn
To Eliza 1:12 Read by Elsie Selwyn
Love 1:16 Read by Elsie Selwyn
On the Death of an Infant 1:09 Read by Elsie Selwyn
The Slave's Complaint 1:23 Read by Elsie Selwyn
On the Truth of the Saviour 1:57 Read by Elsie Selwyn
On Spring 2:08 Read by Elsie Selwyn
On Summer 2:32 Read by Elsie Selwyn
On Winter 2:02 Read by Elsie Selwyn
Heavenly Love 1:26 Read by Elsie Selwyn
On the Death of Rebecca 2:05 Read by Elsie Selwyn
On Death 2:12 Read by Elsie Selwyn
On the Evening and Morning 2:05 Read by Elsie Selwyn
On the Poetic Muse 1:36 Read by Elsie Selwyn
Consequences of Happy Marriages 2:27 Read by Elsie Selwyn
Lines 3:12 Read by Elsie Selwyn
To the Gad-Fly 1:53 Read by Elsie Selwyn
The Loss of Female Character 1:46 Read by Elsie Selwyn