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He Had His Dream

By Paul Laurence Dunbar

Topics: classic

He had his dream, and all through life,     Worked up to it through toil and strife.     Afloat fore'er before his eyes,     It colored for him all his skies:     The storm-cloud dark     Above his bark,     The calm and listless vault of blue     Took on its hopeful hue,     It tinctured every passing beam--     He had his dream.     He labored hard and failed at last,     His sails too weak to bear the blast,     The raging tempests tore away     And sent his beating bark astray.     But what cared he     For wind or sea!     He said, "The tempest will be short,     My bark will come to port."     He saw through every cloud a gleam--     He had his dream.

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"He had his dream, and all through life,..."

This evocative piece by Paul Laurence Dunbar, titled "He Had His Dream", represents a masterful exploration of classic. The lines capture a profound emotional resonance... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:Paul Laurence Dunbar

"He had his dream, and all through life,..." by Paul Laurence Dunbar

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"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

Paul Laurence Dunbar

About Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906) was an American poet and novelist who was one of the first African-American writers to gain national prominence. His poems in dialect—including "When Malindy Sings"—and standard English explore Black life with humor, pathos, and dignity.

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