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The Path

By Paul Laurence Dunbar

Topics: classic

There are no beaten paths to Glory's height,     There are no rules to compass greatness known;     Each for himself must cleave a path alone,     And press his own way forward in the fight.     Smooth is the way to ease and calm delight,     And soft the road Sloth chooseth for her own;     But he who craves the flower of life full-blown,     Must struggle up in all his armor dight!     What though the burden bear him sorely down     And crush to dust the mountain of his pride,     Oh, then, with strong heart let him still abide;     For rugged is the roadway to renown,     Nor may he hope to gain the envied crown,     Till he hath thrust the looming rocks aside.

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"There are no beaten paths to Glory's height,..."

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Author:Paul Laurence Dunbar

"There are no beaten paths to Glory's height,..." 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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