Anti-Slavery Poems 3. Part 3 From Volume III of The Works of John Greenleaf Whittier

A sweeping, lyrical portrait of the 1805 raid on Derne, this long poem places the clash of swords and musket fire against a vivid, night‑shrouded city of Moorish towers, bustling markets, and imprisoned souls. From the thunder of cannons to the hushed prayers of Christian captives longing for home, the verses blend battlefield grandeur with intimate, heart‑wrenching scenes of families torn apart by bondage.

Beyond the clash, the poet reflects on the deeper cost of slavery, drawing a stark line between the valor of those who storm the walls and the silent suffering of those chained in distant lands. The work celebrates self‑sacrifice and moral conviction, urging listeners to hear the echo of freedom’s call in both the clash of steel and the quiet yearning of the enslaved.