Womens Rights,Annie Louisa Walker Best known by the name Annie Louisa Walker this writer later published work under her married name Annie Louisa Coghill. She was born in England but moved to Canada while a young girl, remaining there for about ten years before returning to her homeland. She was primarily an author of fiction but also published at least two collections of poetry.
Much of her poetry contained religious themes and one of her most famous verses was called The Night Cometh which was adapted into a popular hymn and renamed Work, For the Night is Coming. It seems that she missed out on the royalties for this because the hymn was published as anonymous at first, and then wrongly credited to someone else.
Womens Rights by Annie Louisa Walker
You cannot rob us of the rights we cherish,
Nor turn our thoughts away
From the bright picture of a “Woman’s Mission”
Our hearts portray.
We claim to dwell, in quiet and seclusion,
Beneath the household roof,–
From the great world’s harsh strife, and jarring voices,
To stand aloof;–
Not in a dreamy and inane abstraction
To sleep our life away,
But, gathering up the brightness of home sunshine,
To deck our way.
As humble plants by country hedgerows growing,
That treasure up the rain,
And yield in odours, ere the day’s declining,
The gift again;
So let us, unobtrusive and unnoticed,
But happy none the less,
Be privileged to fill the air around us
With happiness;
To live, unknown beyond the cherished circle,
Which we can bless and aid;
To die, and not a heart that does not love us
Know where we’re laid.
