Name/Title
Poem "Unconquered and Unconquerable"Description
Handwritten poem "Unconquered and Unconquerable" in Manuscript, Lewis H. Latimer, undated.Context
In this undated poem, Lewis Latimer suggests his determination to surmount every challenge and hardship-personal, financial, and spiritual-including the painful past of slavery and the present reality of racism.Collection
Latimer Family Papers (1870-1996 ) [QPL Full Collection]Transcription
Transcription
Unconquered and Unconquerable
by L. H. Latimer
What tho’ I suffer through the years,
Unnumbered wrongs, unnumbered fears,
My soul doth still forbid me tears;
Unconquered and unconquerable.
What tho’ my bed of thorns be made;
What tho’ my onward course be stayed;
My soul soars upward undismayed,
Unconquered and unconquerable.
What tho’ by chains confined I lie;
What tho’ by brutal hands I die;
My soul will upward ever fly,
Unconquered and unconquerable.
I scorn the hand that does me wrong,
Tho’ suffering days and years be long,
My soul still sings that deathless song,
Unconquered and unconquerable.Transcriber
Aisha Abdul RahmanLanguage
EnglishLocation
Museum
Lewis Latimer HouseCity
Flushing, QueensState
New York, USAContinent
North AmericaCountry
United States