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The Anti-Slavery Harp

by William Wells Brown

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The Bondman

Air—Troubadour.

Feebly the bondman toiled,
  Sadly he wept—
Then to his wretched cot
  Mournfully crept;
How doth his free-born soul
  Pine ’neath his chain!
Slavery! Slavery!
  Dark is thy reign.

Long ere the break of day,
  Roused from repose,
Wearily toiling
  Till after its close—
Praying for freedom,
  He spends his last breath:
Liberty! Liberty!
  Give me or death.

When, when, O Lord! will right
  Triumph o’er wrong?
Tyrants oppress the weak,
  O Lord! how long?
Hark! hark! a peal resounds
  From shore to shore—
Tyranny! Tyranny!
  Thy reign is o’er.

E’en now the morning
  Gleams from the East—
Despots are feeling
  Their triumph is past—
Strong hearts are answering
  To freedom’s loud call—
Liberty! Liberty!
  Full and for all.

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