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The Looking-Glass

By Paul Laurence Dunbar

Topics: classic

Dinah stan' befo' de glass,     Lookin' moughty neat,     An' huh purty shadder sass     At huh haid an' feet.     While she sasshay 'roun' an' bow,     Smilin' den an' poutin' now,     An' de lookin'-glass, I 'low,     Say: "Now, ain't she sweet?"     All she do, de glass it see,     Hit des see, no mo',     Seems to me, hit ought to be     Drappin' on de flo'.     She go w'en huh time git slack,     Kissin' han's an' smilin' back,     Lawsy, how my lips go smack,     Watchin' at de do'.     Wisht I was huh lookin'-glass,     Wen she kissed huh han';     Does you t'ink I 'd let it pass,     Settin' on de stan'?     No; I'd des' fall down an' break,     Kin' o' glad 't uz fu' huh sake;     But de diffunce, dat whut make     Lookin'-glass an' man.

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"Dinah stan' befo' de glass,..."

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Author:Paul Laurence Dunbar

"Dinah stan' befo' de glass,..." 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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