401 Works of Paul Laurence Dunbar
Search Amazon for related books, downloads and more Paul Laurence Dunbar
Hyeah come Caesar Higgins,Don’t he think he ‘s fine?Look at dem new riggin’sAin’t he tryin’ to shine?Got a standin’ collarAn’ a stove-pipe hat,I ‘ll jes’ bet a dollarSome one gin him dat. Don’t one o’ you mention,Nothin’ ’bout his cloes,Don’t pay no attention,Er let on you knowsDat he ‘s got ’em on him,Why, ‘t ‘ll […]
De breeze is blowin’ ‘cross de bay.My lady, my lady;De ship hit teks me far away,My lady, my lady;Ole Mas’ done sol’ me down de stream;Dey tell me ‘t ain’t so bad ‘s hit seem,My lady, my lady. O’ co’se I knows dat you ‘ll be true,My lady, my lady;But den I do’ know whut […]
I has hyeahd o’ people dancin’ an’ I ‘s hyeahd o’ people singin’.An’ I ‘s been ‘roun’ lots of othahs dat could keep de banjo ringin’;But of all de whistlin’ da’kies dat have lived an’ died since Ham,De whistlin’est I evah seed was ol’ Ike Bates’s Sam.In de kitchen er de stable, in de fiel’ […]
De times is mighty stirrin’ ‘mong de people up ouah way,Dey ‘sputin’ an’ dey argyin’ an’ fussin’ night an’ day;An’ all dis monst’ous trouble dat hit meks me tiahed to tellIs ’bout dat Lucy Jackson dat was sich a mighty belle. She was de preachah’s favoured, an’ he tol’ de chu’ch one nightDat she travelled […]
THE YOUNG MASTER ASKS FOR A STORY Whut you say, dah? huh, uh! chile,You ‘s enough to dribe me wile.Want a sto’y; jes’ hyeah dat!Whah’ ‘ll I git a sto’y at?Di’n’ I tell you th’ee las’ night?Go ‘way, honey, you ain’t right.I got somep’n’ else to do,‘Cides jes’ tellin’ tales to you.Tell you jes’ one? […]
When I come in f’om de co’n-fiel’ aftah wo’kin’ ha’d all day,It ‘s amazin’ nice to fin’ my suppah all erpon de way;An’ it ‘s nice to smell de coffee bubblin’ ovah in de pot,An’ it ‘s fine to see de meat a-sizzlin’ teasin’-lak an’ hot. But when suppah-time is ovah, an’ de t’ings is […]
Tek a cool night, good an’ cleah,Skiff o’ snow upon de groun’;Jes’ ’bout fall-time o’ de yeahW’en de leaves is dry an brown;Tek a dog an’ tek a axe,Tek a lantu’n in yo’ han’,Step light whah de switches cracks,Fu’ dey ‘s huntin’ in de lan’.Down thoo de valleys an’ ovah de hills,Into de woods whah […]
Bones a-gittin’ achy,Back a-feelin’ col’,Han’s a-growin’ shaky,Jes’ lak I was ol’.Fros’ erpon de meddahLookin’ mighty white;Snowdraps lak a feddahSlippin’ down at night.Jes’ keep t’ings a-hummin’Spite o’ fros’ an’ showahs,Chrismus is a-comin’An’ all de week is ouahs. Little mas’ a-axin’,“Who is Santy Claus?”Meks it kin’ o’ taxin’Not to brek de laws.Chillun ‘s pow’ful tryin’To a pusson’s […]
What dreams we have and how they flyLike rosy clouds across the sky;Of wealth, of fame, of sure success,Of love that comes to cheer and bless;And how they wither, how they fade,The waning wealth, the jilting jade–The fame that for a moment gleams,Then flies forever,–dreams, ah–dreams! O burning doubt and long regret,O tears with which […]
De night creep down erlong de lan’,De shadders rise an’ shake,De frog is sta’tin’ up his ban’,De cricket is awake;My wo’k is mos’ nigh done, Celes’,To-night I won’t be late,I ‘s hu’yin’ thoo my level bes’,Wait fu’ me by de gate. De mockin’-bird ‘ll sen’ his gleeA-thrillin’ thoo and thoo,I know dat ol’ magnolia-treeIs smellin’ […]
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’s moughty ha’d a-hopin’W’en de clouds is big an’ black,An’ all de t’ings you ‘s waited fu’Has failed, er gone to wrack–But des’ keep on a-joggin’ wid a little bit o’ song,De mo’n is allus brightah […]
Oh to have you in May,To talk with you under the trees,Dreaming throughout the day,Drinking the wine-like breeze, Oh it were sweet to thinkThat May should be ours again,Hoping it not, I shrink,Out of the sight of men. May brings the flowers to bloom,It brings the green leaves to the tree,And the fatally sweet perfume,Of […]
Cool is the wind, for the summer is waning,Who ‘s for the road?Sun-flecked and soft, where the dead leaves are raining,Who ‘s for the road?Knapsack and alpenstock press hand and shoulder,Prick of the brier and roll of the boulder;This be your lot till the season grow older;Who ‘s for the road? Up and away in […]
Come on walkin’ wid me, Lucy; ‘t ain’t no time to mope erroun’Wen de sunshine ‘s shoutin’ glory in de sky,An’ de little Johnny-Jump-Ups ‘s jes’ a-springin’ f’om de groun’,Den a-lookin’ roun’ to ax each othah w’y.Don’ you hyeah dem cows a-mooin’? Dat ‘s dey howdy to de spring;Ain’ dey lookin’ most oncommon satisfied?Hit ‘s […]
Oh, de clouds is mighty heavyAn’ de rain is mighty thick;Keep a song up on de way.An’ de waters is a rumblin’On de boulders in de crick,Keep a song up on de way.Fu’ a bird ercross de roadIs a-singin’ lak he knowedDat we people did n’t daihFu’ to try de rainy aihWid a song up […]
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 to un’erstan’ huh, an’ you fails, des’ up an’ say:“D’ ain’t a bit o’ use to try to un’erstan’ a woman’s way.” I don’ mean to be complainin’, but I ‘s […]
Two little boots all rough an’ wo’,Two little boots!Law, I ‘s kissed ’em times befo’,Dese little boots!Seems de toes a-peepin’ thooDis hyeah hole an’ sayin’ “Boo!”Evah time dey looks at you–Dese little boots. Membah de time he put ’em on,Dese little boots;Riz an’ called fu’ ’em by dawn,Dese little boots;Den he tromped de livelong day,Laffin’ […]
“Sunshine on de medders,Greenness on de way;Dat ‘s de blessed reasonI sing all de day.”Look hyeah! Whut you axin’?Whut meks me so merry?‘Spect to see me sighin’W’en hit’s wa’m in Febawary? ‘Long de stake an’ riderSeen a robin set;W’y hit ‘mence a-thawin’,Groun’ is monst’ous wet.Den you stan’ dah wond’rin’,Lookin’ skeert an’ stary;I’s a right to […]
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 cabin lak a sperrit wan’erin’ ‘roun’.An’ de chillen shakes an’ shivahs as dey listen to de soun’.Dey is hick’ry in de fiahplace, whah de blaze is risin’ high,But de heat […]
Treat me nice, Miss Mandy Jane,Treat me nice.Dough my love has tu’ned my brain,Treat me nice.I ain’t done a t’ing to shame,Lovahs all ac’s jes’ de same;Don’t you know we ain’t to blame?Treat me nice! Cose I know I ‘s talkin’ wild;Treat me nice;I cain’t talk no bettah, child,Treat me nice;Whut a pusson gwine to […]