Skip to content
Linespedia

On The River

By Paul Laurence Dunbar

Topics: classic

The sun is low,     The waters flow,     My boat is dancing to and fro.     The eve is still,     Yet from the hill     The killdeer echoes loud and shrill.     The paddles plash,     The wavelets dash,     We see the summer lightning flash;     While now and then,     In marsh and fen     Too muddy for the feet of men,     Where neither bird     Nor beast has stirred,     The spotted bullfrog's croak is heard.     The wind is high,     The grasses sigh,     The sluggish stream goes sobbing by.     And far away     The dying day     Has cast its last effulgent ray;     While on the land     The shadows stand     Proclaiming that the eve's at hand.

AI analysis available. Enable JavaScript to interact.

About this line

"The sun is low,..."

This evocative piece by Paul Laurence Dunbar, titled "On The River", 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...

Attribution & Rights

Author:Paul Laurence Dunbar

"The sun is low,..." by Paul Laurence Dunbar

For usage rights, copyright concerns, or to report an issue with this content, please visit our Copyright & Report page.

Related lines

"As lone I sat one summer's day,     With mien dejected, Love came by;     His face distraught, his locks astray,     So slow his gait, so sad h"

"Come away to dreamin' town,     Mandy Lou, Mandy Lou,     Whaih de skies don' nevah frown,         Mandy Lou;     Whaih he streets is paved"

"Ah me, it is cold and chill     And the fire sobs low in the grate,     While the wind rides by on the hill,     And the logs crack sharp with"

"A crust of bread and a corner to sleep in,     A minute to smile and an hour to weep in,     A pint of joy to a peck of trouble,     And never"

"Here morning in the ploughman's songs is met     Ere yet one footstep shows in all the sky,     And twilight in the east, a doubt as yet,     S"

"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.

Full Bibliography
Continue Reading

"As lone I sat one summer's day,     With mien deje..."

Weekly Poetic Insight

Join our literary Sanctuary

Get the most inspiring lines, poetic analysis, and secret shayaris delivered to your inbox every Sunday.