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The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar | 
#PoetryMatters Day 26: #Tragedy
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#Path
Dunbar is one of my favorite poets.
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#Oar
Another great poem by Dunbar.
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#Mystery
Dunbar is one of my favorite poets.
The snow lies deep upon the ground,
And winter's brightness all around
Decks bravely out the forest sere,
With jewels of the brave old year.
The coasting crowd upon the hill
With some new spirit seems to thrill;
And all the temple bells achime.
Ring out the glee of Christmas time.
~Christmas in the Heart ~ Paul Lawrence Dunbar
#poetry #poetrymatters
Found this treasure today. It was originally written in 1892.
pickDunbar(1872-1906)was the son of freed slaves. He became one of the first influential Black poets in America. His big break came when he was invited to read his poetry at the 1893 World‘s Columbian Exposition. Soon after, Dunbar‘s poems were published in major newspapers across America. It was interesting to read poems written in the dialect style which gained him international fame, but was not his only style. #publicdomain #booked2019 #mtTBR
Roses And Pearls
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
Your spoken words are roses fine and sweet.
The songs you sing are perfect pearls of sound.
How lavish nature is about your feet,
To scatter flowers and jewels both around.
#poemsbeforephones
The Unlucky Apple
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
“‘Twas the apple that in Eden
Caused our father‘s primal fall;
And the Trojan War, remember-
‘Twas an apple caused it all.
So for weeks I‘ve hesitated,
You can guess the reason why,
For I want to tell my darling
She‘s the apple of my eye.”
#poemsbeforephones
The Place Where The Rainbow Ends
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
“Where care shall be quiet,
And love shall run riot,
And I shall find wealth in my friends;
Then truce to the story,
Of riches and glory;
There‘s the place where the rainbow ends.”
#poemsbeforephones
Keep A Song Up On De Way
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
“W‘y hit‘s nice to hyeah de showahs
Fallin‘ down ermong de trees;
Keep a song up on de way.
Ef de birds don‘ bothah ‘bout it,
But go singin‘ lak dey please,
Keep a song up on de way.
You don‘s‘pose I‘s gwine to see
Dem ah fowls do mo‘ dan me?
No, suh, I‘ll des chase dis frown,
An‘ aldough de rain fall down,
Keep a song up on de way.”
It‘s raining here! #poemsbeforephones
The Lapse
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
( On the River)
“The river‘s fine, I‘m glad I came,
That poem‘s teasing;
But health is better far than game,
Though cheques are pleasing.
I don‘t know what I did it for,-
This air‘s a poppy.
I‘m sorry for my editor,-
He‘ll get no copy!”
#poemsbeforephones
Sympathy
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
“I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,-
When he beats his bars and he would be free,
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart‘s deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings-
I know why the caged bird sings!
#poemsbeforephones
Now I know where Maya Angelou found her title!
Just Whistle A Bit
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
“Just whistle a bit, if there‘s work to do,
With the mind or in the soil.
And your note will turn out a talisman true
To exorcise grim Toil.”
#poemsbeforephones
Reminds me of something Jiminy Cricket might say! 😉
The Bohemian
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
Bring me the livery of no other man.
I am my own to robe me at my pleasure.
Accepted rules to me disclose no treasure:
No garb conventional but I‘ll attack it.
(Come, why not don my spangled jacket?)
#poemsbeforephones
The Sparrow
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
“So birds of peace and hope and love
Come fluttering earthward from above,
To settle on life‘s window-sills,
And ease our loads of earthly ills;
But we, in traffic‘s rush and din
Too deep engaged to let them in,
With deadened heart and sense plod on,
Nor know our loss till they are gone.”
#poemsbeforephones
A Confidence
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
“Well, one day I kissed her cheek;
Gee, but I felt cheap an‘ weak,
‘N‘, gracious goodness! I was scared,
But, I need n‘t been fer la!
Why, she never told her ma.
That‘s what I call grit, don‘t you?
Such a girl‘s worth stickin to. “
Another time and place.
#poemsbeforephones
We Wear The Mask
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
“We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,-
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be over- wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.”
#poemsbeforephones
Night of Love
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
“I watch the rosy dawn, love,
Come stealing up the east,
While all things round rejoice, love,
That Night her reign has ceased.”
#poemsbeforephones
The Old Apple-Tree
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
“When we‘d wander to the orchard
So‘s no listenin‘ ones could hear
As I whispered sugared nonsense
Into her willin‘ ear.
Now my gray old wife is Hallie,
An‘ I‘m grayer still than she,
But I‘ll not forget our courtin‘
‘Neath the old apple-tree.”
#poemsbeforephones
The Lesson
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
“So I sang a lay for a brother‘s ear
In a strain to soothe his bleeding heart,
And he smiled at the sound of my voice and lyre,
Though mine was a feeble art.
But at his smile, I smiled in turn,
And into my soul there came a ray:
In trying to soothe another‘s woes
Mine own had passed away.”
#poemsbeforephones
Started this today, the last day of #BlackHistoryMonth. Born in 1872 to freed slaves from Kentucky, he became one of the first influential Black poets in American literature. This book is available as a Kindle download for free.
Frederick Douglass
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
“In Freedom‘s lists and for the aid of
Right
Still in the foremost rank he waged
the fray;
Wrong lived; his occupation was not
gone.
He died in action with his armor on!
We weep for him, but we have
touched his hand,
And felt the magic of his presence
nigh,
The current that he sent throughout
the land,
The kindling spirit of his battle-cry.
#poemsbeforephones
