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Longing

By Paul Laurence Dunbar

Topics: classic

If you could sit with me beside the sea to-day,     And whisper with me sweetest dreamings o'er and o'er;     I think I should not find the clouds so dim and gray,     And not so loud the waves complaining at the shore.     If you could sit with me upon the shore to-day,     And hold my hand in yours as in the days of old,     I think I should not mind the chill baptismal spray,     Nor find my hand and heart and all the world so cold.     If you could walk with me upon the strand to-day,     And tell me that my longing love had won your own,     I think all my sad thoughts would then be put away,     And I could give back laughter for the Ocean's moan!

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"If you could sit with me beside the sea to-day,..."

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Author:Paul Laurence Dunbar

"If you could sit with me beside the sea to-day,..." by Paul Laurence Dunbar

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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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