Whittier (by Paul Laurence Dunbar)

Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1872-1906
Whittier
by Paul Laurence Dunbar
[from Lyrics of Lowly Life, 1896]
Not o'er thy dust let there be spent
The gush of maudlin sentiment;
Such drift as that is not for thee,
Whose life and deeds and songs agree,
Sublime in their simplicity.
Nor shall the sorrowing tear be shed.
O singer sweet, thou art not dead!
In spite of time's malignant chill,
With living fire thy songs shall thrill,
And men shall say, "He liveth still!"
Great poets never die, for Earth
Doth count their lives of too great worth
To lose them from her treasured store;
So shalt thou live for evermore—
Though far thy form from mortal ken—
Deep in the hearts and minds of men.





Dunbar reached fame for his poetry before he died at the age of 33. The readers of his poetry should know more about this amazing black man who was published first by the Wright brothers. Also Whittier, the poet, John Greenleaf Whittier, 1807-1892 is a 19th century poet that every student of American literature knows well. I learn a lot from these postings. Thank you John for including these.
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