To Thomas Clarkson

ON THE FINAL PASSING OF THE BILL FOR THE ABOLITION OF THE SLAVE TRADE

MARCH 1807

CLARKSON! it was an obstinate hill to climb:

How toilsome--nay, how dire--it was, by thee

Is known; by none, perhaps, so feelingly:

But thou, who, starting in thy fervent prime,

Didst first lead forth that enterprise sublime,

Hast heard the constant Voice its charge repeat,

Which, out of thy young heart's oracular seat,

First roused thee.--O true yoke-fellow of Time,

Duty's intrepid liegeman, see, the palm

Is won, and by all Nations shall be worn!

The blood-stained Writing is for ever torn;

And thou henceforth wilt have a good man's calm,

A great man's happiness; thy zeal shall find

Repose at length, firm friend of human kind!

William Wordsworth

The English poet William Wordsworth is considered to be one of the most important literary figures in modern history, as well as one of the leading purveyors of the Romantic Movement. He was born in 1770, in Cumbria, and was one of four children. Over the course of his life, he continued to return to the Lake District, and eventually passed away in Cumbria, in 1850. The influence of William Wordsworth should not be underestimated, as he not only helped to kick-start the Romantic Age, he also formed half of one of the most famous literary partnerships in history. The friendship that he shared with fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge is now the stuff of legend, as is the subsequent fallout after the friendship fell apart.

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To Thomas Clarkson

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