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Then And Now

By Paul Laurence Dunbar

Topics: classic

THEN     He loved her, and through many years,     Had paid his fair devoted court,     Until she wearied, and with sneers     Turned all his ardent love to sport.     That night within his chamber lone,     He long sat writing by his bed     A note in which his heart made moan     For love; the morning found him dead.     NOW     Like him, a man of later day     Was jilted by the maid he sought,     And from her presence turned away,     Consumed by burning, bitter thought.     He sought his room to write--a curse     Like him before and die, I ween.     Ah no, he put his woes in verse,     And sold them to a magazine.

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"THEN..."

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Author:Paul Laurence Dunbar

"THEN..." 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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