Ages, ages have departed

"Ages, ages have departed" is a nineteenth-century anti-slavery poem composed by the Scottish-born poet, editor, and hymnwriter James Montgomery.

The text was written to commemorate the historic implementation of the Slavery Abolition Act, which officially came into force across the British colonies on August 1, 1834. Montgomery, a lifelong advocate for abolition and human rights, crafted the piece across four six-line stanzas to reflect on the centuries of human suffering caused by the slave trade while giving thanks for its legal termination.

The work was first published in Montgomery's collection A Poet's Portfolio; or, Thirty Years' Traits of Reminiscence (1835). Within the volume, it appeared under the title "Slavery that was" as the third entry in a distinct sequence of pieces titled "Songs on the Abolition of Negro Slavery in the British Colonies, Aug. 1, 1834." The poem stands as a notable example of Montgomery's active engagement in using sacred verse to celebrate social reform and Christian humanitarianism.