They sought a [faith’s pure shrine]!
Ay, call it holy ground,
The soil where first they trod.
They have left unstained what there they found—
Freedom to worship God.
NOTES AND QUESTIONS
Biography. Felicia Hemans (1793-1835), an English poet, was born in Liverpool. She began to write poetry when young, and in 1819 won a prize of £50 offered for the best poem on “The Meeting of Wallace and Bruce on the Banks of the Carron.” She is best known by her short poems, some of which have become standard English lyrics, such as “The Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers,” “Treasures of the Deep,” and “Casabianca.”
Discussion. 1. What picture do the first two stanzas give you? 2. Compare the coming of a conqueror with the coming of these early settlers. 3. What different kinds of persons composed the “pilgrim band”? 4. Why did they come to this new country? 5. Why does the poet say “holy ground”? 6. What legacy have the Pilgrims left us?
Phrases