Paul Laurence Dunbar

"I know my love is true,     And oh the day is fair.     The sky is clear and blue,     The flowers are rich of hue,     The air I breathe is r"

"She told her beads with down-cast eyes,     Within the ancient chapel dim;     And ever as her fingers slim     Slipt o'er th' insensate ivorie"

"Uncle John, he makes me tired;     Thinks 'at he's jest so all-fired     Smart, 'at he kin pick up, so,     Ever'thing he wants to know.     T"

"Night is for sorrow and dawn is for joy,     Chasing the troubles that fret and annoy;     Darkness for sighing and daylight for song,--     Ch"

"Done are the toils and the wearisome marches,     Done is the summons of bugle and drum.     Softly and sweetly the sky over-arches,     Shelt'"

"Love used to carry a bow, you know,     But now he carries a taper;     It is either a length of wax aglow,     Or a twist of lighted paper."

"Ef you's only got de powah fe' to blow a little whistle,     Keep ermong de people wid de whistles.     Ef you don't, you'll fin' out sho'tly da"

"My cot was down by a cypress grove,     And I sat by my window the whole night long,     And heard well up from the deep dark wood     A mockin"

""Sunshine on de medders,     Greenness on de way;     Dat 's de blessed reason     I sing all de day."     Look hyeah! Whut you axin'?     Wh"

"When Phyllis sighs and from her eyes     The light dies out; my soul replies     With misery of deep-drawn breath,     E'en as it were at war w"

"I 's boun' to see my gal to-night--     Oh, lone de way, my dearie!     De moon ain't out, de stars ain't bright--     Oh, lone de way, my dear"

"Dream days of fond delight and hours     As rosy-hued as dawn, are mine.     Love's drowsy wine,     Brewed from the heart of Passion flowers,"

"Step wid de banjo an' glide wid de fiddle,     Dis ain' no time fu' to pottah an' piddle:     Fu' Christmas is comin', it's right on de way,"

"With sombre mien, the Evening gray     Comes nagging at the heels of Day,     And driven faster and still faster     Before the dusky-mantled M"

"Aye, lay him in his grave, the old dead year!     His life is lived--fulfilled his destiny.     Have you for him no sad, regretful tear     To"

"A man of low degree was sore oppressed,     Fate held him under iron-handed sway,     And ever, those who saw him thus distressed     Would bid"

"Hello, ole man, you 're a-gittin' gray,     An' it beats ole Ned to see the way     'At the crow's feet's a-getherin' aroun' yore eyes;     T"

"Woman's sho' a cur'ous critter, an' dey ain't no doubtin' dat.     She's a mess o' funny capahs f'om huh slippahs to huh hat.     Ef you tries t"

"Dream on, for dreams are sweet:     Do not awaken!     Dream on, and at thy feet     Pomegranates shall be shaken.     Who likeneth the youth"

"Shadder in de valley     Sunlight on de hill,     Sut'ny wish dat locus'     Knowed how to be still.     Don't de heat already     Mek a body"

"The sun has slipped his tether     And galloped down the west.     (Oh, it's weary, weary waiting, love.)     The little bird is sleeping"

"'T was three an' thirty year ago,     When I was ruther young, you know,     I had my last an' only fight     About a gal one summer night."

"Know you, winds that blow your course     Down the verdant valleys,     That somewhere you must, perforce,     Kiss the brow of Alice?     Whe"

"Your presence like a benison to me     Wakes my sick soul to dreamful ecstasy,     I fancy that some old Arabian night     Saw you my houri and"

"When first of wise old Johnson taught,     My youthful mind its homage brought,     And made the pond'rous crusty sage     The object of a nobl"

""I am but clay," the sinner plead,     Who fed each vain desire.     "Not only clay," another said,     "But worse, for thou art mire.""

"My neighbor lives on the hill,     And I in the valley dwell,     My neighbor must look down on me,     Must I look up?--ah, well,     My neig"

"My heart to thy heart,     My hand to thine;     My lip to thy lips,     Kisses are wine     Brewed for the lover in sunshine and shade;"

"I 've been list'nin' to them lawyers     In the court house up the street,     An' I 've come to the conclusion     That I'm most completely be"

"The river sleeps beneath the sky,     And clasps the shadows to its breast;     The crescent moon shines dim on high;     And in the lately rad"

"Key and bar, key and bar,     Iron bolt and chain!     And what will you do when the King comes     To enter his domain?     Turn key and lif"

"Just whistle a bit, if the day be dark,     And the sky be overcast:     If mute be the voice of the piping lark,     Why, pipe your own small"

"Across the hills and down the narrow ways,     And up the valley where the free winds sweep,     The earth is folded in an ermined sleep     Th"

"Home agin, an' home to stay--     Yes, it's nice to be away.     Plenty things to do an' see,     But the old place seems to me     Jest about"

"Our good knight, Ted, girds his broadsword on     (And he wields it well, I ween);     He 's on his steed, and away has gone     To the fight f"

"I 's feelin' kin' o' lonesome in my little room to-night,     An' my min 's done los' de minutes an' de miles,     Wile it teks me back a-flyin'"

"W'en daih 's chillun in de house,     Dey keep on a-gittin' tall;     But de folks don' seem to see     Dat dey 's growin' up at all,     'Twe"

"Though the winds be dank,     And the sky be sober,     And the grieving Day     In a mantle gray     Hath let her waiting maiden robe her,--"

"Oh to have you in May,     To talk with you under the trees,     Dreaming throughout the day,     Drinking the wine-like breeze,     Oh it we"

"When I was young I longed for Love,     And held his glory far above     All other earthly things. I cried:     "Come, Love, dear Love, with me"

"All de night long twell de moon goes down,     Lovin' I set at huh feet,     Den fu' de long jou'ney back f'om de town,     Ha'd, but de dreams"

"Along by the river of ruin     They dally--the thoughtless ones,     They dance and they dream     By the side of the stream,     As long as t"

"Temples he built and palaces of air,     And, with the artist's parent-pride aglow,     His fancy saw his vague ideals grow     Into creations"

"There is a heaven, for ever, day by day,     The upward longing of my soul doth tell me so.     There is a hell, I 'm quite as sure; for pray,"

"I grew a rose once more to please mine eyes.     All things to aid it--dew, sun, wind, fair skies--     Were kindly; and to shield it from despo"

"He scribbles some in prose and verse,     And now and then he prints it;     He paints a little,--gathers some     Of Nature's gold and mints i"

"Once Love grew bold and arrogant of air,     Proud of the youth that made him fresh and fair;     So unto Grief he spake, "What right hast thou"

"Why was it that the thunder voice of Fate     Should call thee, studious, from the classic groves,     Where calm-eyed Pallas with still footste"

"Whut dat you whisperin' keepin' f'om me?     Don't shut me out 'cause I 's ol' an' can't see.     Somep'n's gone wrong dat 's a-causin' you drea"

"Ef dey 's anyt'ing dat riles me     An' jes' gits me out o' hitch,     Twell I want to tek my coat off,     So 's to r'ar an' t'ar an' pitch,"

"As in some dim baronial hall restrained,     A prisoner sits, engirt by secret doors     And waving tapestries that argue forth     Strange pas"

"In de dead of night I sometimes,     Git to t'inkin' of de pas'     An' de days w'en slavery helt me     In my mis'ry--ha'd an' fas'.     Doug"

"An angel, robed in spotless white,     Bent down and kissed the sleeping Night.     Night woke to blush; the sprite was gone.     Men saw the b"

"Your spoken words are roses fine and sweet,     The songs you sing are perfect pearls of sound.     How lavish nature is about your feet,     T"

"Dis is gospel weathah sho'--     Hills is sawt o' hazy.     Meddahs level ez a flo'     Callin' to de lazy.     Sky all white wif streaks o' b"

"By Mystic's banks I held my dream.     (I held my fishing rod as well,)     The vision was of dace and bream,     A fruitless vision, sooth to"

"De da'kest hour, dey allus say,     Is des' befo' de dawn,     But it's moughty ha'd a-waitin'     W'ere de night goes frownin' on;     An' it"

"A song is but a little thing,     And yet what joy it is to sing!     In hours of toil it gives me zest,     And when at eve I long for rest;"

"Dey is snow upon de meddahs, dey is snow upon de hill,     An' de little branch's watahs is all glistenin' an' still;     De win' goes roun' de"

"The air is dark, the sky is gray,     The misty shadows come and go,     And here within my dusky room     Each chair looks ghostly in the gloo"