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Hope

By Paul Laurence Dunbar

Topics: classic

De dog go howlin' 'long de road,     De night come shiverin' down;     My back is tiahed of its load,     I cain't be fu' f'om town.     No mattah ef de way is long,     My haht is swellin' wid a song,     No mattah 'bout de frownin' skies,     I'll soon be home to see my Lize.     My shadder staggah on de way,     It's monstous col' to-night;     But I kin hyeah my honey say     "W'y bless me if de sight     O' you ain't good fu' my so' eyes."     (Dat talk's dis lak my lady Lize)     I's so'y case de way was long     But Lawd you bring me love an' song.     No mattah ef de way is long,     An' ef I trimbles so'     I knows de fiah's burnin' strong,     Behime my Lizy's do'.     An' daih my res' an' joy shell be,     Whaih my ol' wife's awaitin' me--     Why what I keer fu' stingin' blas',     I see huh windah light at las'.

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"De dog go howlin' 'long de road,..."

"Hope" is a quintessential example of Paul Laurence Dunbar's signature style... ### 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

"De dog go howlin' 'long de road,..." 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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