# A Hymn to the Peoples explained — Darkwater

> Chapter companion for Darkwater by W. E. B. Du Bois.

## What happens

A poetic invocation calling for unity among all races and nations, envisioning a world where diverse peoples gather in peace, acknowledging shared guilt and suffering, and pleading for divine guidance to transcend hatred, war, and empire.

## Themes in this chapter

### War and Imperialism

The hymn decries 'the Anarchy of Empire' and the bloodshed of war, calling for an end to conflict and domination.

### Double Consciousness and the Veil

The imagery of the 'mighty human rainbow' and the plea to 'reveal our souls in every race and hue' speaks to the desire to overcome racial divisions and see the shared humanity beneath.

### Religion and Moral Hypocrisy

The hymn invokes multiple religious traditions (Buddha, Christ, al-Koran, Bible) as holy, critiquing the hypocrisy of those who 'lie and steal and kill' while claiming righteousness.

## Character check-ins

### The Narrator

The voice of the hymn, speaking for all humanity in a collective plea for unity and redemption.

## Key lines

> So sit we all as one. So, gloomed in tall and stone-swathed groves, The Buddha walks with Christ! And al-Koran and Bible both be holy!

We gather together as equals, and in sacred spaces, the teachings of Buddha and Christ coexist, and both the Quran and the Bible are revered.

_Emphasizes interfaith unity and the sanctity of diverse religious traditions._

> We see the nakedness of Toil, the poverty of Wealth, We know the Anarchy of Empire, and doleful Death of Life!

We witness the exploitation of labor, the emptiness of riches, the chaos of imperial rule, and the tragic loss of vitality.

_Critiques economic inequality and imperial violence._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/darkwater_se/chapters/a-hymn-to-the-peoples
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/darkwater_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/darkwater_se/chapters