HUNGER AND COLD by James Russell Lowell: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This poem brings Hunger and Cold to life as two relentless sisters who confront authority in ways that politicians or palace gates never could.
The poem
Sisters two, all praise to you, With your faces pinched and blue; To the poor man you've been true From of old: You can speak the keenest word, You are sure of being heard, From the point you're never stirred, Hunger and Cold! Let sleek statesmen temporize; Palsied are their shifts and lies When they meet your bloodshot eyes, Grim and bold; Policy you set at naught, In their traps you'll not be caught, You're too honest to be bought, Hunger and Cold! Bolt and bar the palace door; While the mass of men are poor, Naked truth grows more and more Uncontrolled; You had never yet, I guess, Any praise for bashfulness, You can visit sans court-dress, Hunger and Cold! While the music fell and rose, And the dance reeled to its close, Where her round of costly woes Fashion strolled, I beheld with shuddering fear Wolves' eyes through the windows peer; Little dream they you are near, Hunger and Cold! When the toiler's heart you clutch, Conscience is not valued much, He recks not a bloody smutch On his gold: Everything to you defers, You are potent reasoners, At your whisper Treason stirs, Hunger and Cold! Rude comparisons you draw, Words refuse to sate your maw, Your gaunt limbs the cobweb law Cannot hold: You're not clogged with foolish pride, But can seize a right denied: Somehow God is on your side, Hunger and Cold! You respect no hoary wrong More for having triumphed long; Its past victims, haggard throng, From the mould You unbury: swords and spears Weaker are than poor men's tears, Weaker than your silent years, Hunger and Cold! Let them guard both hall and bower; Through the window you will glower, Patient till your reckoning hour Shall be tolled; Cheeks are pale, but hands are red, Guiltless blood may chance be shed, But ye must and will be fed, Hunger and Cold! God has plans man must not spoil, Some were made to starve and toil, Some to share the wine and oil, We are told: Devil's theories are these, Stifling hope and love and peace, Framed your hideous lusts to please, Hunger and Cold! Scatter ashes on thy head, Tears of burning sorrow shed, Earth! and be by Pity led To Love's fold; Ere they block the very door With lean corpses of the poor, And will hush for naught but gore, Hunger and Cold!
This poem brings Hunger and Cold to life as two relentless sisters who confront authority in ways that politicians or palace gates never could. Lowell suggests that when desperation reaches a breaking point, no law, guard, or cunning politician can stop people from rising up. It's a stark warning to the rich and powerful: neglect the poor for too long, and these two sisters will come knocking at your door.
Line-by-line
Sisters two, all praise to you, / With your faces pinched and blue;
Let sleek statesmen temporize; / Palsied are their shifts and lies
Bolt and bar the palace door; / While the mass of men are poor,
While the music fell and rose, / And the dance reeled to its close,
When the toiler's heart you clutch, / Conscience is not valued much,
Rude comparisons you draw, / Words refuse to sate your maw,
You respect no hoary wrong / More for having triumphed long;
Let them guard both hall and bower; / Through the window you will glower,
God has plans man must not spoil, / Some were made to starve and toil,
Scatter ashes on thy head, / Tears of burning sorrow shed,
Tone & mood
The tone is fierce, prophetic, and intentionally unsettling. Lowell writes like an Old Testament prophet sharing a warning that few want to hear — each stanza carries a sense of righteous anger that's kept in check, almost ceremonial, guided by the driving refrain. The mock-hymn structure adds a layer of dark irony: this is a song of praise for suffering, and that praise serves as a critique of those who permit it.
Symbols & metaphors
- The two sisters (Hunger and Cold) — Personifying the two most immediate physical expressions of poverty as sisters creates a sense of kinship, permanence, and agency. They aren't just abstract ideas; they are vibrant forces with faces, limbs, and eyes — fiercely loyal to the poor in a way that no institution can match.
- Wolves' eyes through the windows — The hungry poor observing the rich party from outside are portrayed as wolves — predatory, hungry, and waiting. It's a cautionary image: those being watched don’t notice the watchers, yet the watchers are present, and they are not subdued.
- Cobweb law — The law is likened to a cobweb — it appears to be a barrier, yet it's too delicate to withstand real physical need. It ensnares the weak (like small insects) but gets easily ripped apart by anything with true strength.
- The palace door — The bolted palace door symbolizes the physical and social barriers that the wealthy put up to keep poverty hidden. The poem argues that these barriers are ultimately ineffective — Hunger and Cold will always find a way in.
- Ashes on the head — A biblical gesture of mourning and repentance. Lowell employs it in the final stanza to urge society to confront its grief and take moral responsibility before it's too late — before bodies accumulate at the door.
- The reckoning hour tolled — A tolling bell has long been a symbol of death or a serious moment of judgment. In this context, it announces the unavoidable uprising of the poor — not a mere possibility, but a planned event, as certain as a bell that will inevitably ring.
Historical context
James Russell Lowell wrote this poem during a time of significant social turmoil in the mid-nineteenth century. The 1840s, in particular, were marked by widespread famine—most severely in Ireland—alongside rapid industrial growth and increasing labor exploitation throughout Europe and America. As a dedicated abolitionist and social reformer, Lowell crafted poems like this one to accompany his *Biglow Papers*, using sharp political commentary to challenge the complacency of American society. The revolutions in Europe during 1848, largely fueled by food shortages and economic hardship, provide a compelling backdrop for the poem's warnings about the consequences of pushing the poor too far. While Lowell wasn’t a radical revolutionary, he firmly believed that accumulated injustice leads to violent repercussions, and he aimed to make his comfortable readers aware of the dangers looming just outside their lives.
FAQ
Lowell's argument is straightforward and pressing: poverty isn't something we can simply manage as a political issue — it's an unstoppable force. No law, no locked door, and no clever politician can contain the desperation of those who are truly hungry and cold. If society fails to respond to that desperation with justice and compassion, it will inevitably be addressed through violence.
The praise carries a sense of irony. Lowell isn't celebrating suffering; instead, he's highlighting that Hunger and Cold are the only forces truly honest and strong enough to pierce through political deception and societal complacency. They "speak the keenest word" because they can't be bribed, postponed, or overlooked like a reformer or a petition can be. This praise ultimately serves as a critique of a society that relies on such harsh realities to reveal the truth.
It suggests that the law appears to be a barrier, but in reality, it's too feeble to stop genuine physical needs. A cobweb can trap small, vulnerable creatures but will break apart when anything with real strength pushes through it. Lowell is pointing out that legal frameworks intended to safeguard property and maintain order fail against those who are starving.
They are the well-fed, comfortable politicians who "temporize" — that is, they delay, hedge, and make excuses instead of tackling poverty head-on. Lowell doesn’t mention anyone by name, but he’s aiming at any political class that values stability and their own comfort more than the struggles of the poor.
That stanza references the frequent religious claim that God has chosen certain people to suffer and labor while others bask in wealth — and then it swiftly labels this notion as a lie crafted by the devil. Lowell is criticizing the theology that encourages the poor to accept their plight as part of God's plan. He argues that this reasoning exists to benefit Hunger and Cold, not to honor God.
Yes, that's right. Lowell doesn't explicitly call for a revolution, but the poem serves as a warning that one could erupt if things remain the same. The wolves at the window, the tolling of the reckoning hour, the corpses piling up at the door — all of this signals an unavoidable violent confrontation. The final stanza is a desperate plea for repentance before that moment comes.
The refrain acts like a drumbeat, constantly returning to the central, unavoidable reality regardless of what the previous stanza covered. It also reflects the unyielding nature of poverty: discussions about politics, fashion, law, or religion always circle back to Hunger and Cold, which are ever-present, waiting at the conclusion of every thought.
Each stanza is compact and energetic, featuring a clear rhyme scheme (AAA/B, CCCC/B) that creates a hymn-like drive. This structure is intentional — Lowell crafts a dark parody of a praise hymn, utilizing the style of devotional verse to honor the two forces that reveal society's shortcomings. The consistency of the form also reflects the unyielding, steady nature he assigns to Hunger and Cold.