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The Right To Die

By Paul Laurence Dunbar

Topics: classic

I have no fancy for that ancient cant     That makes us masters of our destinies,     And not our lives, to hold or give them up     As will directs; I cannot, will not think     That men, the subtle worms, who plot and plan     And scheme and calculate with such shrewd wit,     Are such great blund'ring fools as not to know     When they have lived enough.     Men court not death     When there are sweets still left in life to taste.     Nor will a brave man choose to live when he,     Full deeply drunk of life, has reached the dregs,     And knows that now but bitterness remains.     He is the coward who, outfaced in this,     Fears the false goblins of another life.     I honor him who being much harassed     Drinks of sweet courage until drunk of it,--     Then seizing Death, reluctant, by the hand,     Leaps with him, fearless, to eternal peace!

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"I have no fancy for that ancient cant..."

Exploring the themes of classic, Paul Laurence Dunbar delivers a powerful performance in "The Right To Die"... ### 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

"I have no fancy for that ancient cant..." 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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"As lone I sat one summer's day,     With mien deje..."

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