I sit and look out upon all the sorrows of the world, and upon all
oppression and shame;
I hear secret convulsive sobs from young men at anguish with
themselves, remorseful after deeds done;
I see in low life the mother misused by her children, dying,
neglected, gaunt, desperate;
I see the wife misused by her husband, I see the treacherous seducer of young women;
ALthough the speaker can hear the men cry, feel how they feel, she is silent, but she is understanding. She recognizes them, but does not say a word.
I Sit and Look Out