To a Lady on the Death of Her Husband

What it is

This is a poem written by Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved African-American poet in colonial Boston. It is a consolatory elegy addressed to a woman whose husband, called Leonard in the poem, has died. The text survives among her collected works.

Why it matters

Wheatley wrote many elegies, a common poetic form of her time, and this poem shows her skill at blending classical imagery, religious comfort and personal sympathy. It reveals how a young enslaved woman became a respected poet, writing for and about the grief of others in 18th-century New England society.

Look closer

• What images does Wheatley use to describe death and comfort?
• Why might elegies have been a popular and acceptable form of writing for a poet in her position?
• What does the poem's language tell you about the education Wheatley received?