Skip to content
Linespedia

Astraea

By John Greenleaf Whittier

Topics: classic

"Jove means to settle     Astraea in her seat again,     And let down his golden chain     An age of better metal."     - Ben Johnson 1615     O poet rare and old!     Thy words are prophecies;     Forward the age of gold,     The new Saturnian lies.     The universal prayer     And hope are not in vain;     Rise, brothers! and prepare     The way for Saturn's reign.     Perish shall all which takes     From labor's board and can;     Perish shall all which makes     A spaniel of the man!     Free from its bonds the mind,     The body from the rod;     Broken all chains that bind     The image of our God.     Just men no longer pine     Behind their prison-bars;     Through the rent dungeon shine     The free sun and the stars.     Earth own, at last, untrod     By sect, or caste, or clan,     The fatherhood of God,     The brotherhood of man!     Fraud fail, craft perish, forth     The money-changers driven,     And God's will done on earth,     As now in heaven

AI analysis available. Enable JavaScript to interact.

About this line

""Jove means to settle..."

This evocative piece by John Greenleaf Whittier, titled "Astraea", represents a masterful exploration of classic. The lines capture a profound emotional resonance... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

Attribution & Rights

Author:John Greenleaf Whittier

""Jove means to settle..." by John Greenleaf Whittier

For usage rights, copyright concerns, or to report an issue with this content, please visit our Copyright & Report page.

Related lines

"Gallery of sacred pictures manifold,     A minster rich in holy effigies,     And bearing on entablature and frieze     The hieroglyphic oracle"

"Through the long hall the shuttered windows shed     A dubious light on every upturned head;     On locks like those of Absalom the fair,     O"

"At the unveiling of his statue.     Among their graven shapes to whom     Thy civic wreaths belong,     O city of his love, make room     F"

"Thrice welcome from the Land of Flowers     And golden-fruited orange bowers     To this sweet, green-turfed June of ours!     To her who, in o"

"Here morning in the ploughman's songs is met     Ere yet one footstep shows in all the sky,     And twilight in the east, a doubt as yet,     S"

"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

John Greenleaf Whittier

About John Greenleaf Whittier

John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892) was an American Quaker poet and abolitionist whose poems—including "Snow-Bound" and "Barbara Frietchie"—celebrate New England life and moral courage. He was one of the Fireside Poets and a leading voice against slavery.

Full Bibliography
Continue Reading

"Gallery of sacred pictures manifold,     A minster..."

Weekly Poetic Insight

Join our literary Sanctuary

Get the most inspiring lines, poetic analysis, and secret shayaris delivered to your inbox every Sunday.