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Poem to William W. Phelps, between circa 1 and circa 15 February 1843

Source Note

JS, Poem, , Hancock Co., IL, to , [, Hancock Co., IL, between ca. 1 and ca. 15] Feb. 1843. Featured version published in “The Answer,” Times and Seasons, 1 Feb. 1843, vol. 4, no. 6, 82–85. For more complete source information, see the source note for Letter to Isaac Galland, 22 Mar. 1839.

Historical Introduction

Sometime during early February 1843 in , Illinois, JS produced a poetic adaptation of an 1832 vision he and experienced of the afterlife. A Times and Seasons editorial introducing the poem implied that JS composed the poem in response to a remark by his lawyer . During his closing arguments at JS’s recent hearing in , Illinois, Butterfield claimed that JS was “an innocent & unoff[e]nding man” and that the only difference between him and biblical prophets was that the “old prop[h]ets prophicid in Poet[r]y & the modern in Prose.” Favorably comparing JS’s poem to biblical literature, the editor of the Times and Seasons expressed hope that Butterfield would be “convinced that the modern Prophets can prophecy in poetry, as well as the ancient prophets and that no difference, even of that kind any longer exists.” The poem was also a response to a poem JS received from , one of his scribes, on 20 January 1843. Phelps’s poem, which invited JS to join him in contemplating a postmortal heavenly state, was published in the Times and Seasons above JS’s response.
The vision JS and saw of the afterlife took place on 16 February 1832 and outlined three levels of heavenly glory and the requirements for entrance into each. Shortly after the experience, JS and Rigdon wrote a description of the event titled “The Vision,” which was subsequently published with some changes in The Evening and the Morning Star and the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. In February 1843, around the same time JS adapted the vision as a poem, and reviewed JS and Rigdon’s account of the vision and copied it into JS’s ongoing history. Nevertheless, it appears that the published text of the vision served as the poem’s base text with largely stylistic edits to adapt the text into a poem.
In general, the first half of the poem adheres more closely to the vision’s text, while the second half adds lines and omits several passages. While many of the changes appear to have been made to transition from prose to poetry, others appear to have been made to update the text using JS’s more recent revelations or teachings. For example, the poem included language and concepts from the recently published Book of Abraham and added a line discussing the practice of for the dead. One of the most significant changes, though, was the excising of from the text. The original 1832 vision was an experience shared by both JS and Rigdon, and their account of it was written in the first-person plural voice and signed by both men. In contrast, the 1843 poem was written in the first-person singular and contains no mention of Rigdon’s involvement, perhaps because of his strained relationship with JS in early 1843.
There is no extant draft of the poem, and JS’s level of engagement with the poem’s production is unclear. There is a manuscript version of the poem that appears to be a later copy of a different version with some significant textual variants. According to JS’s history—prepared by and in January 1846—JS “dictated” the poem to one of his scribes in February 1843. However, there is no mention of this process in contemporaneous sources, and the poem’s length as well as its textual dependence on the earlier account seems to preclude strict dictation. In addition, as noted, JS had little to no experience writing poetry. As of 1843, the only extant document resembling poetry in JS’s corpus was a reflection he dictated in August 1842, which contained what he described as “childish lines” about his deceased father and his deceased brother . These lines have a poetic quality, possessing an irregular meter and a simple rhyming scheme. Given his lack of experience, JS likely relied on the help of one of his scribes, presumably , to draft the poem. In his journal, Phelps noted on 19 January 1843 that he had recommenced “writing on the history of the church for B[rother] Joseph,” and the next day he gave JS the poem to which this poem responded. However, there is no conclusive evidence that Phelps was involved with JS’s poem, and JS may have also worked with others such as , who returned to in early February, or , who continued to live in JS’s home until mid-February, both of whom were accomplished poets. Nevertheless, the poem was written in JS’s voice, even including the phrase “I, Joseph, the prophet.”
Like ’s earlier poem—which was dated only January 1843—JS’s published poem was simply dated February 1843, and it is unclear precisely when it was written. JS presumably began work on the poem sometime after he received Phelps’s poem on 20 January. Although the poems appeared in the 1 February 1843 issue of the Times and Seasons, that issue was not printed until sometime after 15 February. In JS’s history, and dated the poem to 24 February 1843, saying that JS “dictated the following answer” to Phelps’s earlier poem on that date. The earlier rough draft notes of the history more ambiguously state that JS had the poem “delivered about this time,” indicating that Richards and Bullock’s dating was only an approximation. Additionally, according to the notes, the only source for their dating was the published poem in the Times and Seasons. However, the reception history of the poem demonstrates that the 24 February date Richards and Bullock gave was incorrect. The 1 February issue of the Times and Seasons must have been printed and mailed by mid-February because a copy of the issue arrived in on 7 March 1843. The poem was therefore most likely produced in early or mid-February 1843.
Excerpts of the 1 February Times and Seasons—including JS’s poem and a jubilee song by —were republished in the 8 March edition of the New York Herald. The Herald described JS’s poem as “very curious.” With mocking praise, the paper lampooned other prominent religious, political, or philosophical movements—such as the Millerites, the socialists, and the transcendentalists—claiming that JS’s poem “entirely outstrips and outgenerals” those other movements due to the “enthusiasm, fancy, originality, and power” of its ideas. In contrast to the Herald’s snide commentary, Latter-day Saints received JS’s poem much more favorably. The Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, the ’s newspaper in , also reprinted the poem. While it acknowledged that “the construction of the verse may be subject to criticism,” the paper argued that “the rare and sublime doctrines it contains” made up for its weaknesses.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    JS, Journal, 4 Jan. 1843.

  2. [2]

    “Ancient Poetry,” Times and Seasons, 1 Feb. 1843, 4:81.

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  3. [3]

    Poem from William W. Phelps, between 1 and 20 Jan. 1843.

  4. [4]

    Vision, 16 Feb. 1832; “A Vision,” The Evening and the Morning Star, July 1832, [2]–[3]; Vision, 16 Feb. 1832, in Doctrine and Covenants 91, 1835 ed. [D&C 76].

  5. [5]

    Vogel, History of Joseph Smith, 1:lxxxiv; JS History, vol. A-1, 183–192.

    Vogel, Dan, ed. History of Joseph Smith and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: A Source and Text-Critical Edition. 8 vols. Salt Lake City: Smith-Pettit Foundation, 2015.

  6. [6]

    In both the Doctrine and Covenants and the poem, for example, the experience was titled “A Vision,” while in the manuscript revelation copy it was titled “The Vision” and in the manuscript history copy simply “Vision.” (Vision, 16 Feb. 1832, in Doctrine and Covenants 91, 1835 ed. [D&C 76]; Vision, 16 Feb. 1832; JS History, vol. A-1, 183, underlining in original.)

  7. [7]

    For a textual comparison of the poem and the 1835 text of the vision, see “Comparison of Poem to William W. Phelps and Doctrine and Covenants 91, 1835 ed. [D&C 76].”

  8. [8]

    Vision, 16 Feb. 1832 [D&C 76].

  9. [9]

    See Letter from Sidney Rigdon, ca. 13 Feb. 1843.

  10. [10]

    JS, Poem to William W. Phelps, Feb. 1843, JS Collection, CHL.

    Smith, Joseph. Collection, 1827–1846. CHL. MS 155.

  11. [11]

    Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 24 Feb. 1843, 24; Historian’s Office, Journal, 10 and 15 Jan. 1846.

    Historian’s Office. Journal, 1844–1997. CHL. CR 100 1.

  12. [12]

    JS, Journal, 23 Aug. 1842.

  13. [13]

    Phelps, Diary and Notebook, 19 Jan. 1843; JS, Journal, 20 Jan. 1843.

    Phelps, William W. Diary and Notebook, ca. 1835–1836, 1843, 1864. CHL. MS 3450.

  14. [14]

    Pratt, Autobiography, 365; Givens and Grow, Parley P. Pratt, 80; Derr and Davidson, Eliza R. Snow, xiii–xxiii; see also Poem from Eliza R. Snow, 12 Oct. 1842.

    Pratt, Parley P. The Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt, One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Embracing His Life, Ministry and Travels, with Extracts, in Prose and Verse, from His Miscellaneous Writings. Edited by Parley P. Pratt Jr. New York: Russell Brothers, 1874.

    Givens, Terryl L., and Matthew J. Grow. Parley P. Pratt: The Apostle Paul of Mormonism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.

    Derr, Jill Mulvay, and Karen Lynn Davidson, eds. Eliza R. Snow: The Complete Poetry. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press; Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2009.

  15. [15]

    The 1 February issue contained a notice dated 15 February 1843. (“Sacred Hymns,” Times and Seasons, 1 Feb. 1843, 4:95.)

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  16. [16]

    JS History, vol. D-1, 1476; Historian’s Office, JS History, Draft Notes, 24 Feb. 1843, 24.

  17. [17]

    “Highly Important and Curious from Nauvoo, the Capital of the Mormon Empire,” New York Herald (New York City), 8 Mar. 1843, [2]. Mail between Nauvoo and the East Coast of the United States typically spent around three weeks in transit. (See, for example, Historical Introduction to Letter from George J. Adams, 23 Feb. 1843.)

    New York Herald. New York City. 1835–1924.

  18. [18]

    “Highly Important and Curious from Nauvoo, the Capital of the Mormon Empire,” New York Herald (New York City), 8 Mar. 1843, [2]; see also Jubilee Songs, between 11 and 18 Jan. 1843. The Herald’s editor, James Gordon Bennett, frequently devoted space in the newspaper to articles about JS and the Latter-day Saints. While Bennett’s coverage was typically coupled with sarcastic praise for JS and the church, it was generally more favorable than that of other major newspapers. (See Bushman, Rough Stone Rolling, 518, 559.)

    New York Herald. New York City. 1835–1924.

    Bushman, Richard Lyman. Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. With the assistance of Jed Woodworth. New York: Knopf, 2005.

  19. [19]

    “Highly Important and Curious from Nauvoo, the Capital of the Mormon Empire,” New York Herald (New York City), 8 Mar. 1843, [2].

    New York Herald. New York City. 1835–1924.

  20. [20]

    “Ancient Poetry,” Millennial Star, Aug. 1843, 4:49–55; “Editorial,” Millennial Star, Aug. 1843, 4:62.

    Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star. Manchester, England, 1840–1842; Liverpool, 1842–1932; London, 1932–1970.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Poem to William W. Phelps, between circa 1 and circa 15 February 1843
History, 1838–1856, volume D-1 [1 August 1842–1 July 1843] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page 82

THE ANSWER
to , esq.
A Vision.
1. I will go, I will go, to the home of the Saints,
Where the virtue’s the value, and life the reward;
But before I return to my former estate
I must fulfil the mission I had from the Lord.
 
2. Wherefore, hear, O ye heavens, and give ear O ye earth;
And rejoice ye inhabitants truly again;
For the Lord he is God, and his life never ends,
And besides him there ne’er was a Saviour of men.
 
3. His ways are a wonder; his wisdom is great;
The extent of his doings, there’s none can unveil;
His purposes fail not; from age unto age
He still is the same, and his years never fail.
 
4. His throne is the heavens, his life time is all
Of eternity now, and eternity then;
His union is power, and none stays his hand,—
The Alpha, Omega, for ever: Amen.
 
5. For thus saith the Lord, in the spirit of truth,
I am merciful, gracious, and good unto those
That fear me, and live for the life that’s to come;
My delight is to honor the saints with repose;
 
6. That serve me in righteousness true to the end;
Eternal’s their glory, and great their reward;
I’ll surely reveal all my myst’ries to them,—
The great hidden myst’ries in my kingdom stor’d—
 
7. From the council in Kolob, to time on the earth.
And for ages to come unto them I will show
My pleasure & will, what my kingdom will do:
Eternity’s wonders they truly shall know.
 
8. Great things of the future I’ll show unto them,
Yea, things of the vast generations to rise;
For their wisdom and glory shall be very great,
And their pure understanding extend to the skies:
 
9. And before them the wisdom of wise men shall cease,
And the nice understanding of prudent ones fail!
For the light of my spirit shall light mine elect,
And the truth is so mighty ’t will ever prevail.
 
10. And the secrets and plans of my will I’ll reveal;
The sanctified pleasures when earth is renew’d,
What the eye hath not seen, nor the ear hath yet heard;
Nor the heart of the natural man ever hath view’d.
 
11. I, Joseph, the prophet, in spirit beheld,
And the eyes of the inner man truly did see
Eternity sketch’d in a vision from God,
Of what was, and now is, and yet is to be.
 
12. Those things which the Father ordained of old,
Before the world was, or a system had run,—
Through Jesus the Maker and Savior of all;
The only begotten, (Messiah) his son.
 
13. Of whom I bear record, as all prophets have,
And the record I bear is the fulness,—yea even
The truth of the gospel of Jesus—the Christ,
With whom I convers’d, in the vision of heav’n.
 
14. For while in the act of translating his word,
Which the Lord in his grace had appointed to me,
I came to the gospel recorded by John,
Chapter fifth and the twenty ninth verse, which you’ll see.
Which was given as follows:
Speaking of the resurrection of the dead,—
Concerning those who shall hear the voice of the son of man—
And shall come forth:—
They who have done good in the resurrection of the just.
And they who have done evil in the resurrection of the unjust.
15. I marvel’d at these resurrections, indeed!
For it came unto me by the spirit direct:—
And while I did meditate what it all meant,
The Lord touch’d the eyes of my own intellect:—
 
16. Hosanna forever! they open’d anon,
And the glory of God shone around where I was;
And there was the Son, at the Father’s right hand,
In a fulness of glory, and holy applause.
 
17. I beheld round the throne, holy angels and hosts,
And sanctified beings from worlds that have been,
In holiness worshipping God and the Lamb,
Forever and ever, amen and amen!
 
18. And now after all of the proofs made of him,
By witnesses truly, by whom he was known,
This is mine, last of all, that he lives; yea he lives!
And sits at the right hand of God, on his throne.
 
19. And I heard a great voice, bearing record from heav’n,
He’s the Saviour, and only begotten of God— [p. 82]
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Document Information

Related Case Documents
Editorial Title
Poem to William W. Phelps, between circa 1 and circa 15 February 1843
ID #
998
Total Pages
4
Print Volume Location
JSP, D11:421–435
Handwriting on This Page
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Footnotes

  1. [1]

    The manuscript version of the 1832 account copied into Revelation Book 2 was titled “The Vision.” When the account was published in The Evening and the Morning Star and the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants, the title was changed to “A Vision.” (Vision, 16 Feb. 1832; “A Vision,” The Evening and the Morning Star, July 1832, [2]–[3]; Vision, 16 Feb. 1832, in Doctrine and Covenants 91, 1835 ed. [D&C 76].)

  2. [2]

    Phelps’s poem, to which this poem was responding, invited JS to accompany Phelps to “where the truth and the virtues prevail.” (Poem from William W. Phelps, between 1 and 20 Jan. 1843.)

  3. [3]

    Expanding on language found in Jude 1:6, the recently published Book of Abraham identified humankind’s premortal existence as “their first estate” and promised that glory would be given to those who remained faithful during “their second estate” on earth. (Book of Abraham Excerpt and Facsimile 2, 15 Mar. 1842 [Abraham 3:26–28].)

  4. [4]

    See Isaiah 1:2.

  5. [5]

    See Isaiah 43:11.

  6. [6]

    Aside from the opening and closing stanzas, this is the only full stanza in the poem with no textual antecedent in the 16 February 1832 vision.

  7. [7]

    The 1832 vision does not refer to Kolob. Several passages in the recently published Book of Abraham identified Kolob as a star that signified “the first creation, nearest to the celestial, or the residence of God.” The Book of Abraham—as well as other JS revelations and sermons—also described a council in heaven where Jesus Christ was chosen as the Savior and the worlds were “organized and formed.” However, JS’s other teachings and revelations do not link Kolob with this grand council. (Book of Abraham Excerpt and Facsimile 2, 15 Mar. 1842 [Abraham 3:3–4, 9, 13, 16; 4:1; facsimile 2]; see also, for example, Old Testament Revision 1, p. 6 [Moses 4:1–4]; Account of Meeting, ca. 19 Jan. 1841; and Clayton, Journal, 10 Mar. 1845.)

    Clayton, William. Journals, 1842–1845. CHL.

  8. [8]

    See 1 Corinthians 1:19.

  9. [9]

    See 1 Corinthians 2:9.

  10. [10]

    From 1830 to 1833, JS worked on what he considered to be an inspired revision of the Bible and what he and others called his translation of the Bible. During that period, JS dictated several revelations calling him to work on this Bible revision. (Visions of Moses, June 1830 [Moses 1]; see also Revelation, 7 Dec. 1830 [D&C 35:20]; Revelation, ca. 7 Mar. 1831 [D&C 45:60–61]; and Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 56–58.)

    Faulring, Scott H., Kent P. Jackson, and Robert J. Matthews, eds. Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible: Original Manuscripts. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2004.

  11. [11]

    See New Testament Revision 2, p. 114 (second numbering) [Joseph Smith Translation, John 5:29].

  12. [12]

    See Hebrews 12:2.

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