Oppressed with sin and woe
Oppressed with sin and woe. Anne Brontë* (1820-1849).
This hymn is taken from a poem entitled ‘Confidence’, and dated ‘June 1st 1845’ in the manuscript (Chitham, p. 114). It was written towards the end of Anne Brontë’s time as a governess with the Robinson family at Thorp Green, near York, where ‘Sunday was a day for writing, especially on a religious theme’ (Chitham, p. 12). It certainly demonstrates a classic example of deeply felt sin, followed by trust and forgiveness. The gloom of the first line is relieved later in the first stanza – ‘Yet will I not despair’ – and subsequent stanzas reiterate the theme, with ‘this polluted heart’ (stanza 2 line 1) and ‘I feel that I am weak,/ And...
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MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "Oppressed with sin and woe."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 11 Jul. 2025.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/o/oppressed-with-sin-and-woe>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "Oppressed with sin and woe."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed July 11, 2025,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/o/oppressed-with-sin-and-woe.