Poetry

Eliza is arguably most well known for her poetry. She was a gifted writer. During her lifetime, she was referred to as “Zion’s Poetess” and the “Poetess of Utah.” Several of her poems were set to music and have become beloved Latter-day Saint hymns, including “O My Father,” “How Great the Wisdom and the Love,” and “In Our Lovely Deseret.” Eliza also composed poetry for children. In 1882 she published Recitations for the Primary Associations in Poetry, Dialogues, and Prose.

Most of Eliza’s poems can be found in her journals and personal papers. Many were printed in Church publications and secular periodicals. Newspaper search engines, such as Utah Digital Newspapers or Chronicling America, are good resources for finding Eliza’s published poetry. Using terms such as “Eliza Snow” or “Zion’s Poetess” will yield many results.

Eliza’s poetry has been analyzed by many historians. For instance, in 2009, Jill Mulvay Derr and Karen Lynn Davidson published their edited compilation Eliza R. Snow: The Complete Poetry. Maureen Ursenbach Beecher wrote the article “Inadvertent Disclosure: Autobiography in the Poetry of Eliza R. Snow,” published in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. And in a 1996 volume of BYU Studies Quarterly, Jill Mulvay Derr published the article “The Significance of ‘O My Father’ in the Personal Journey of Eliza R. Snow.”