The Complete Poems Of Paul Laurence Dunbar. Paul Laurence Dunbar

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СКАЧАТЬ high black cups of harmless wine;

      And low the laden grape-vine swung

      With beads of night-kissed amethyst

      Where buzzing lovers held their tryst,

      When you and I were young, my boy,

      When you and I were young.

      When you and I were young, the cool

      And fresh wind fanned our fevered brows

      When tumbling o’er the scented mows,

      Or stripping by the dimpling pool,

      Sedge-fringed about its shimmering face,

      Save where we ‘d worn an ent’ring place.

      –

      How with our shouts the calm banks rung!

      How flashed the spray as we plunged in,—

      Pure gems that never caused a sin!

      When you and I were young, my boy,

      When you and I were young.

      When you and I were young, we heard

      All sounds of Nature with delight,—

      The whirr of wing in sudden flight,

      The chirping of the baby-bird.

      The columbine’s red bells were rung;

      The locust’s vested chorus sung;

      While every wind his zithern strung

      To high and holy-sounding keys,

      And played sonatas in the trees—

      When you and I were young, my boy,

      When you and I were young.

      When you and I were young, we knew

      To shout and laugh, to work and play,

      And night was partner to the day

      In all our joys. So swift time flew

      On silent wings that, ere we wist,

      The fleeting years had fled unmissed;

      And from our hearts this cry was wrung—

      To fill with fond regret and tears

      The days of our remaining years—

      “When you and I were young, my boy,

      When you and I were young.”

      UNEXPRESSED

      Deep in my heart that aches with the repression,

      And strives with plenitude of bitter pain,

      There lives a thought that clamors for expression,

      And spends its undelivered force in vain.

      What boots it that some other may have thought it?

      The right of thoughts’ expression is divine;

      The price of pain I pay for it has bought it,

      I care not who lays claim to it—’t is mine!

      And yet not mine until it be delivered;

      The manner of its birth shall prove the test.

      Alas, alas, my rock of pride is shivered—

      –

      I beat my brow—the thought still unexpressed.

      SONG OF SUMMER

      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’ blue,

      Sunshine softly gleamin’,

      D’ain’t no wuk hit’s right to do,

      Nothin’ ‘s right but dreamin’.

      Dreamin’ by de rivah side

      Wif de watahs glist’nin’,

      Feelin’ good an’ satisfied

      Ez you lay a-list’nin’

      To the little nakid boys

      Splashin’ in de watah,

      Hollerin’ fu’ to spress deir joys

      Jes’ lak youngsters ought to.

      Squir’l a-tippin’ on his toes,

      So ‘s to hide an’ view you;

      Whole flocks o’ camp-meetin’ crows

      Shoutin’ hallelujah.

      Peckahwood erpon de tree

      Tappin’ lak a hammah;

      Jaybird chattin’ wif a bee,

      Tryin’ to teach him grammah.

      Breeze is blowin’ wif perfume,

      Jes’ enough to tease you;

      Hollyhocks is all in bloom,

      Smellin’ fu’ to please you.

      Go ‘way, folks, an’ let me ‘lone,

      Times is gettin’ dearah—

      Summah’s settin’ on de th’one,

      An’ I ‘m a-layin’ neah huh!

      SPRING SONG

      A blue-bell springs upon the ledge,

      A lark sits singing in the hedge;

      Sweet perfumes scent the balmy air,

      And life is brimming everywhere.

      What lark СКАЧАТЬ