Skip to content
Linespedia

When All Is Done

By Paul Laurence Dunbar

Topics: classic

When all is done, and my last word is said,     And ye who loved me murmur, "He is dead,"     Let no one weep, for fear that I should know,     And sorrow too that ye should sorrow so.     When all is done and in the oozing clay,     Ye lay this cast-off hull of mine away,     Pray not for me, for, after long despair,     The quiet of the grave will be a prayer.     For I have suffered loss and grievous pain,     The hurts of hatred and the world's disdain,     And wounds so deep that love, well-tried and pure,     Had not the pow'r to ease them or to cure.     When all is done, say not my day is o'er,     And that thro' night I seek a dimmer shore:     Say rather that my morn has just begun,--     I greet the dawn and not a setting sun,         When all is done.

AI analysis available. Enable JavaScript to interact.

About this line

"When all is done, and my last word is said,..."

Exploring the themes of classic, Paul Laurence Dunbar delivers a powerful performance in "When All Is Done"... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

Attribution & Rights

Author:Paul Laurence Dunbar

"When all is done, and my last word is said,..." by Paul Laurence Dunbar

For usage rights, copyright concerns, or to report an issue with this content, please visit our Copyright & Report page.

Related lines

"As lone I sat one summer's day,     With mien dejected, Love came by;     His face distraught, his locks astray,     So slow his gait, so sad h"

"Come away to dreamin' town,     Mandy Lou, Mandy Lou,     Whaih de skies don' nevah frown,         Mandy Lou;     Whaih he streets is paved"

"Ah me, it is cold and chill     And the fire sobs low in the grate,     While the wind rides by on the hill,     And the logs crack sharp with"

"A crust of bread and a corner to sleep in,     A minute to smile and an hour to weep in,     A pint of joy to a peck of trouble,     And never"

"Here morning in the ploughman's songs is met     Ere yet one footstep shows in all the sky,     And twilight in the east, a doubt as yet,     S"

"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.

Full Bibliography
Continue Reading

"As lone I sat one summer's day,     With mien deje..."

Weekly Poetic Insight

Join our literary Sanctuary

Get the most inspiring lines, poetic analysis, and secret shayaris delivered to your inbox every Sunday.