Poems by a slave in the island of Cuba
Behold, yon placid, plodding, staid old man,
His still and solemn features closely scan!
In his calm look how wisdom's light is shed,
How the grey hairs, become his honoured head!
Mark how the merchants bow, as he goes by,
How men on 'Change, at his approach draw nigh,
“Highly respected," and esteemed ; 'tis said,
His fame to Afric's farthest shore is spread!
Behold, his house!—if marble speak elsewhere,
“Sermons in stones" are with a vengeance here,
Whate'er the potent will of wealth can do
Or pride can wish, is offered to your view.
Those gay saloons, this banquet hall's array,
This glaring pile in all its pomp survey,
The grandeur strikes—one must not look for taste—
What's gorgeous, cannot always be quite chaste.
Books by Juan Francisco Manzano and/or Richard Robert Madden in ALAWiT
Autobiografía de un esclavo (moderniziada)
Juan Francisco Manzano
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Iván A Schulman
Poems by a slave in the island of Cuba
Juan Francisco Manzano
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Richard Robert Madden
About ALAWiT
ALAWiT is a resource for readers, writers, publishers, students and teachers interested in Afro-American and Latin American culture in general, and Afro-Latin American culture in particular. It gathers book covers, excerpts, bibliographic clues and digital downloads of works by black Latin American authors in original language and in translation.
