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The Secret

By Paul Laurence Dunbar

Topics: classic

What says the wind to the waving trees?     What says the wave to the river?     What means the sigh in the passing breeze?     Why do the rushes quiver?     Have you not heard the fainting cry     Of the flowers that said "Good-bye, good-bye"?     List how the gray dove moans and grieves     Under the woodland cover;     List to the drift of the falling leaves,     List to the wail of the lover.     Have you not caught the message heard     Already by wave and breeze and bird?     Come, come away to the river's bank,     Come in the early morning;     Come when the grass with dew is dank,     There you will find the warning--     A hint in the kiss of the quickening air     Of the secret that birds and breezes bear.

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"What says the wind to the waving trees?..."

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

"What says the wind to the waving trees?..." 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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