Lyrics of the Hearthside

by Paul Laurence Dunbar

This is a collection of poetry by African American author Paul Laurence Dunbar. Dunbar's work frequently features a conversational tone, innovative rhetorical structure, and a colorful use of both dialect and mainstream English. Dunbar was among the first nationally successful African American writers.

Source: Dunbar, P.L. (1913). The Complete Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar. New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company.

Love's Apotheosis: Love me. I care not what the circling years
The Paradox: I am the mother of sorrows,
Over the Hills: Over the hills and the valleys of dreaming
With the Lark: Night is for sorrow and dawn is for joy,
In Summer: Oh, summer has clothed the earth
The Mystic Sea: The smell of the sea in my nostrils,
A Sailor's Song: Oh for the breath of the briny deep,
The Bohemian: Bring me the livery of no other man.
Absence: Good–night, my love, for I have dreamed of thee
Her Thoughts and His: The gray of the sea, and the gray of the sky,
The Right to Die: I have no fancy for that ancient cant
Behind the Arras: As in some dim baronial hall restrained,
When the Old Man Smokes: In the forenoon’s restful quiet,
The Garret: Within a London garret high,
To E.H.K.—On the Receipt of a Familiar Poem: To me, like hauntings of a vagrant breath
A Bridal Measure: Come, essay a sprightly measure,
Vengeance is Sweet: When I was young I longed for Love,
A Hymn—After Reading 'Lead, Kindly Light: Lead gently, Lord, and slow,
Just Whistle a Bit: Just whistle a bit, if the day be dark,
The Barrier: The Midnight wooed the Morning–Star,
Dreams: Dream on, for dreams are sweet:
The Dreamer: Temples he built and palaces of air,
Waiting: The sun has slipped his tether
The End of the Chapter: Ah, yes, the chapter ends to–day;
Sympathy: I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
Love and Grief: Out of my heart, one treach’rous winter’s day,
Love's Chastening: Once Love grew bold and arrogant of air,
Mortality: Ashes to ashes, dust unto dust,
Love: A life was mine full of the close concern
She Gave Me a Rose: She gave a rose,
Dream Song. I: Long years ago, within a distant clime,
Dream Song. II: Pray, what can dreams avail
Christmas in the Heart: The snow lies deep upon the ground,
The King is Dead: Aye, lay him in his grave, the old dead year!
Theology: There is a heaven, for ever, day by day,
Resignation: Long had I grieved at what I deemed abuse;
Love's Humility: As some rapt gazer on the lowly earth,
Precedent: The poor man went to the rich man’s doors,
She Told Her Beads: She told her beads with down–cast eyes,
Little Lucy Landman: Oh, the day has set me dreaming
The Gourd: In the heavy earth the miner
The Knight: Our good knight, Ted, girds his broadsword on
Thou Art My Lute: Thou art my life, by thee I live,
The Phantom Kiss: One night in my room, still and beamless,
Communion: In the silence of my heart,
Mare Rubrum: In Life’s Red Sea with faith I plant my feet,
In an English Garden: In this old garden, fair, I walk to–day
The Crisis: A man of low degree was sore oppressed,
The Conquerors (The Black Troops in Cuba): Round the wide earth, from the red field your valour has won,
Alexander Crummell - Dead: Back to the breast of thy mother,
When All is Done: When all is done, and my last word is said,
The Poet and the Baby: How’s a man to write a sonnet, can you tell,—
Distinction: “I am but clay,” the sinner plead,
The Sum: A little dreaming by the way,
Sonnet (On an Old Book With Uncut Leaves): Emblem of blasted hope and lost desire,
On the Sea Wall: I sit upon the old sea wall,
To a Lady Playing the Harp: Thy tones are silver melted into sound,
Confessional: Search thou my heart;
Misapprehension: Out of my heart, one day, I wrote a song,
Prometheus: Prometheus stole from Heaven the sacred fire
Love's Phases: Love hath the wings of the butterfly,
For the Man Who Fails: The world is a snob, and the man who wins
Harriet Beecher Stowe: She told the story, and the whole world wept
Vagrants: Long time ago, we two set out,
A Winter's Day: Across the hills and down the narrow ways,
My Little March Girl: Come to the pane, draw the curtain apart,
Remembered: She sang, and I listened the whole song thro’.
Love Despoiled: As lone I sat one summer’s day,
The Lapse: This poem must be done to–day;
The Warrior's Prayer: Long since, in sore distress, I heard one pray,
Farewell to Arcady: With sombre mien, the Evening gray
The Voice of the Banjo: In a small and lonely cabin out of noisy traffic’s way,
The Stirrup Cup: Come, drink a stirrup cup with me,
A Choice: They please me not—these solemn songs

Year Published: 1913

Language: English

Country of Origin: United States of America

Readability:

Flesch–Kincaid Level: 6.5

Word Count: 11,064

Genre: Poetry

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