Summary

'Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land,
Taught my benighted soul to understand
That there's a God, that there's a Saviour too:
Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.
Some view our sable race with scornful eyes,
"Their colour is a diabolic die."

As the poem opens up, one can feel a sense of appreciation from the speaker. The speaker goes ahead and makes suggestions of possibly converting to Christianity as the term ‘Pagan land’ relates to Christian non-followers. Indeed, the graceful nature of the speaker emerges from his stance that previously they were largely unenlightened (benighted soul) but have come to comprehend the Christian way of God and Jesus Christ (Saviour). While speaking about redemption, the speaker wishes to explain further their previous state of life. However, it can be understood that it wasn’t their intention to aggressively seek or learn about the concept of Christianity which has come only due to getting their sins forgiven. References towards the speaker’s African roots come about as they encounter prejudice due to ‘our sable race’. It is in this case that the speaker experiences a ‘scornful eye’ which is not only negative but also a mocking attitude.