"The Portent" is a poem by Herman Melville that discusses the death of John Brown, an abolitionist known for his murder of several slave owners in Pottowatomie Creek, Kansas, as well as his failed raid on Harper's Ferry. It was first published in an 1866 collection titled Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War.
The poem explores the political ramifications of John Brown's actions and execution. The poem treats both as omens of violence to come, specifically that of the Civil War, suggesting that the only way to end the violence of slavery is through politically-motivated violence.
The poem is organized into two stanzas, each seven lines long, which each follow a similar structure. The...
