Lift ev’ry voice and sing Till earth and heaven ring. Ring with the harmonies of Liberty; Let our rejoicing rise High as the list’ning skies, Let it resound loud as the rolling sea. Sing a song full o...

O brothers mine, today we stand Where half a century sweeps our ken, Since God, through Lincoln’s ready hand, Struck off our bonds and made us men. Just fifty years⁠—a winter’s day⁠— As runs the histo...

How would you have us, as we are? Or sinking ’neath the load we bear? Our eyes fixed forward on a star? Or gazing empty at despair? Rising or falling? Men or things? With dragging pace or footsteps fl...

O black and unknown bards of long ago, How came your lips to touch the sacred fire? How, in your darkness, did you come to know The power and beauty of the minstrel’s lyre? Who first from midst his bo...

O Southland! O Southland! Have you not heard the call, The trumpet blown, the word made known To the nations, one and all? The watchword, the hope-word, Salvation’s present plan? A gospel new, for all...

Have you been sore discouraged in the fight, And even sometimes weighted by the thought That those with whom and those for whom you fought Lagged far behind, or dared but faintly smite? And that the o...

Under a burning tropic sun, With comrades around him lying, A trooper of the sable Tenth Lay wounded, bleeding, dying. First in the charge up the fort-crowned hill, His company’s guidon bearing, He ha...

O whitened head entwined in turban gay, O kind black face, O crude, but tender hand, O foster-mother in whose arms there lay The race whose sons are masters of the land! It was thine arms that shelter...

Father, Father Abraham, Today look on us from above; On us, the offspring of thy faith, The children of thy Christ-like love. For that which we have humbly wrought, Give us today thy kindly smile; Whe...

See! There he stands; not brave, but with an air Of sullen stupor. Mark him well! Is he Not more like brute than man? Look in his eye! No light is there; none, save the glint that shines In the now gl...

The hand of Fate cannot be stayed, The course of Fate cannot be steered, By all the gods that man has made, Nor all the devils he has feared, Not by the prayers that might be prayed In all the temples...

O brothers mine, take care! Take care! The great white witch rides out to-night. Trust not your prowess nor your strength, Your only safety lies in flight; For in her glance there is a snare, And in h...

Eternities before the first-born day, Or ere the first sun fledged his wings of flame, Calm Night, the everlasting and the same, A brooding mother over chaos lay. And whirling suns shall blaze and the...

Mother, shed no mournful tears, But gird me on my sword; And give no utterance to thy fears, But bless me with thy word. The lines are drawn! The fight is on! A cause is to be won! Mother, look not so...

The glory of the day was in her face, The beauty of the night was in her eyes. And over all her loveliness, the grace Of Morning blushing in the early skies. And in her voice, the calling of the dove;...

Twenty years go by on noiseless feet, He returns, and once again they meet, She exclaims, “Good heavens! and is that he?” He mutters, “My God! and that is she!”...

I knew not who had wrought with skill so fine What I beheld; nor by what laws of art He had created life and love and heart On canvas, from mere color, curve and line. Silent I stood and made no move ...

I hear the stars still singing To the beautiful, silent night, As they speed with noiseless winging Their ever westward flight. I hear the waves still falling On the stretch of lonely shore, But the s...

Girl of fifteen, I see you each morning from my window As you pass on your way to school. I do more than see, I watch you. I furtively draw the curtain aside. And my heart leaps through my eyes And fo...

For fifty years, Cruel, insatiable Old World, You have punched me over the heart Till you made me cough blood. The few paltry things I gathered You snatched out of my hands. You have knocked the cup f...

Sol, Sol, mighty lord of the tropic zone, Here I wait with the trembling stars To see thee once more take thy throne. There the patient palm tree watching Waits to say, “Good morn” to thee, And a thro...

Sol, Sol, mighty lord of the tropic zone, Here I wait with the trembling stars To see thee once more take thy throne. There the patient palm tree watching Waits to say, “Good morn” to thee, And a thro...

This is the land of the dark-eyed gente, Of the dolce far niente, Where we dream away Both the night and day, At night-time in sleep our dreams we invoke, Our dreams come by day through the redolent s...

Of tropic sensations, the worst Is, sin duda, the tropical thirst. When it starts in your throat and constantly grows, Till you feel that it reaches down to your toes, When your mouth tastes like fur ...

“Lottery, lottery, Take a chance at the lottery? Take a ticket, Or, better, take two; Who knows what the future May hold for you? Lottery, lottery, Take a chance at the lottery?” Oh, limpid-eyed girl,...

Do you know what it is to dance? Perhaps, you do know, in a fashion; But by dancing I mean, Not what’s generally seen, But dancing of fire and passion, Of fire and delirious passion. With a dusky-hair...

A silver flash from the sinking sun, Then a shot of crimson across the sky That, bursting, lets a thousand colors fly And riot among the clouds; they run, Deepening in purple, flaming in gold, Changin...

Around the council-board of Hell, with Satan at their head, The Three Great Scourges of humanity sat. Gaunt Famine, with hollow cheek and voice, arose and spoke⁠— “O, Prince, I have stalked the earth,...

I love to sit alone, and dream, And dream, and dream; In fancy’s boat to softly glide Along some stream Where fairy palaces of gold And crystal bright Stand all along the glistening shore: A wondrous ...

Old Devil, when you come with horns and tail, With diabolic grin and crafty leer; I say, such bogey-man devices wholly fail To waken in my heart a single fear. But when you wear a form I know so well,...

The snow has ceased its fluttering flight, The wind sunk to a whisper light, An ominous stillness fills the night, A pause⁠—a hush. At last, a sound that breaks the spell, Loud, clanging mouthings of ...

In a backwoods town Lived Deacon Brown, And he was a miser old; He would trust no bank, So he dug, and sank In the ground a box of gold, Down deep in the ground a box of gold. He hid his gold, As has ...

Some men enjoy the constant strife Of days with work and worry rife, But that is not my dream of life: I think such men are crazy. For me, a life with worries few, A job of nothing much to do, Just pe...

Old Omar, jolly sceptic, it may be That, after all, you found the magic key To life and all its mystery, and I Must own you have almost persuaded me....

Are you bowed down in heart? Do you but hear the clashing discords and the din of life? Then come away, come to the peaceful wood, Here bathe your soul in silence. Listen! Now, From out the palpitatin...

To chase a never-reached mirage Across the hot, white sand, And choke and die, while gazing on Its green and watered strand....

“She’s built of steel From deck to keel, And bolted strong and tight; In scorn she’ll sail The fiercest gale, And pierce the darkest night. “The builder’s art Has proved each part Throughout her bread...

Out of the infinite sea of eternity To climb, and for an instant stand Upon an island speck of time. From the impassible peace of the darkness To wake, and blink at the garish light Through one short ...

O Sleep, thou kindest minister to man, Silent distiller of the balm of rest, How wonderful thy power, when naught else can, To soothe the torn and sorrow-laden breast! When bleeding hearts no comforte...

O mighty, powerful, dark-dispelling sun, Now thou art risen, and thy day begun. How shrink the shrouding mists before thy face, As up thou spring’st to thy diurnal race! How darkness chases darkness t...

Sometimes the mist overhangs my path, And blackening clouds about me cling; But, oh, I have a magic way To turn the gloom to cheerful day⁠— I softly sing. And if the way grows darker still, Shadowed b...

When morning shows her first faint flush, I think of the tender blush That crept so gently to your cheek When first my love I dared to speak; How, in your glance, a dawning ray Gave promise of love’s ...

Her eyes, twin pools of mystic light, The blend of star-sheen and black night; O’er which, to sound their glamouring haze, A man might bend, and vainly gaze. Her eyes, twin pools so dark and deep, In ...

I dreamed that I was a rose That grew beside a lonely way, Close by a path none ever chose, And there I lingered day by day. Beneath the sunshine and the show’r I grew and waited there apart, Gatherin...

When buffeted and beaten by life’s storms, When by the bitter cares of life oppressed, I want no surer haven than your arms, I want no sweeter heaven than your breast. When over my life’s way there fa...

’Twas at early morning, The dawn was blushing in her purple bed, When in a sweet, embowered garden She, the fairest of the goddesses, The lovely Venus, Roamed amongst the roses white and red. She soug...

I sometimes take you in my dreams to a far-off land I used to know, Back in the ages long ago; a land of palms and languid streams. A land, by night, of jeweled skies, by day, of shores that glistened...

No greater earthly boon than this I crave, That those who some day gather ’round my grave, In place of tears, may whisper of me then, “He sang a song that reached the hearts of men.”...

Seems lak to me de stars don’t shine so bright, Seems lak to me de sun done loss his light, Seems lak to me der’s nothin’ goin’ right, Sence you went away. Seems lak to me de sky ain’t half so blue, S...

Breeze a-sighin’ and a-blowin’, Southern summer night. Stars a-gleamin’ and a-glowin’, Moon jes shinin’ right. Strollin’, like all lovers do, Down de lane wid Lindy Lou; Honey on her lips to waste; ’S...

Look heah, Tunk!⁠—Now, ain’t dis awful! T’ought I sont you off to school. Don’t you know dat you is growin’ up to be a reg’lah fool? Whah’s dem books dat I’s done bought you? Look heah, boy, you tell ...

De river is a-glistenin’ in de moonlight, De owl is set’n high up in de tree; De little stars am twinklin’ wid a sof’ light, De night seems only jes fu’ you an’ me. Thoo de trees de breezes am a-sighi...

Shet yo’ eyes, ma little pickaninny, go to sleep Mammy’s watchin’ by you all de w’ile; Daddy is a-wukin’ down in de cott’n fiel’, Wukin’ fu’ his little honey child. An’ yo’ mammy’s heart is jes a-brim...

W’en ole Mister Sun gits tiah’d a-hangin’ High up in de sky; W’en der ain’t no thunder and light’nin’ a-bangin’, An’ de crap’s done all laid by; W’en yo’ bones ain’t achin’ wid de rheumatics, Den yo’ ...

I’m back down in ole Georgy w’ere de sun is shinin’ hot, W’ere de cawn it is a-tasslin’, gittin’ ready fu’ de pot; W’ere de cott’n is a-openin’ an’ a-w’itenin’ in de sun, An’ de ripenin’ o’ de sugah-c...

W’en de banjos wuz a-ringin’, An’ de darkies wuz a-singin’, Oh, wuzen dem de good times sho! All de ole folks would be chattin’, An’ de pickaninnies pattin’, As dey heah’d de feet a-shufflin’ ’cross d...

Der ain’t no use in sayin’ de Lawd won’t answer prah; If you knows how to ax Him, I knows He’s bound to heah. De trouble is, some people don’t ax de proper way, Den w’en dey git’s no answer dey doubts...

Skin as black an’ jes as sof’ as a velvet dress, Teeth as white as ivory⁠—well dey is I guess. Eyes dat’s jes as big an’ bright as de evenin’ star; An’ dat hol’ some sort o’ light lublier by far. Hair...

W’en de leaves begin to fall, An’ de fros’ is on de ground, An’ de ’simmons is a-ripenin’ on de tree; W’en I heah de dinner call, An’ de chillen gadder ’round, ’Tis den de ’possum is de meat fu’ me. W...

’Simmons ripenin’ in de fall, You better run, Brudder ’Possum, run! Mockin’ bird commence to call, You better run, Brudder ’Possum, git out de way! You better run, Brudder ’Possum, git out de way! Run...

Once der was a meetin’ in de wilderness, All de critters of creation dey was dar; Brer Rabbit, Brer ’Possum, Brer Wolf, Brer Fox, King Lion, Mister Terrapin, Mister B’ar. De question fu’ discussion wa...

Look heah! ’Splain to me de reason Why you said to Squire Lee, Der wuz twelve ole chicken thieves In dis heah town, includin’ me. Ef he tole you dat, my brudder, He said sump’n dat warn’t true; W’at I...

Cuddle down, ma honey, in yo’ bed, Go to sleep an’ res’ yo’ little head, Been a-kind o’ ailin’ all de day? Didn’t have no sperit fu’ to play? Never min’; to-morrer, w’en you wek, Daddy’s gwine to ride...

Look heah! Is I evah tole you ’bout de curious way I won Anna Liza? Say, I nevah? Well heah’s how de thing wuz done. Lize, you know, wuz mighty purty⁠—dat’s been forty yeahs ago⁠— ’N ’cos to look at h...

O Lord, we come this morning Knee-bowed and body-bent Before thy throne of grace. O Lord⁠—this morning⁠— Bow our hearts beneath our knees, And our knees in some lonesome valley. We come this morning⁠—...

And God stepped out on space, And he looked around and said: I’m lonely⁠— I’ll make me a world. And far as the eye of God could see Darkness covered everything, Blacker than a hundred midnights Down i...

Young man⁠— Young man⁠— Your arm’s too short to box with God. But Jesus spake in a parable, and he said: A certain man had two sons. Jesus didn’t give this man a name, But his name is God Almighty. An...

Weep not, weep not, She is not dead; She’s resting in the bosom of Jesus. Heart-broken husband⁠—weep no more; Grief-stricken son⁠—weep no more; Left-lonesome daughter⁠—weep no more; She’s only just go...

In the cool of the day⁠— God was walking⁠— Around in the Garden of Eden. And except for the beasts, eating in the fields, And except for the birds, flying through the trees, The garden looked like it ...

Jesus, my gentle Jesus, Walking in the dark of the Garden⁠— The Garden of Gethsemane, Saying to the three disciples: Sorrow is in my soul⁠— Even unto death; Tarry ye here a little while, And watch wit...

And God called Moses from the burning bush, He called in a still, small voice, And he said: Moses⁠—Moses⁠— And Moses listened, And he answered and said: Lord, here am I. And the voice in the bush said...

In that great day, People, in that great day, God’s a-going to rain down fire. God’s a-going to sit in the middle of the air To judge the quick and the dead. Early one of these mornings, God’s a-going...

If homely virtues draw from me a tune In happy jingle or a half-sad croon; Or if the smoldering future should inspire My hand to strike the seer’s prophetic lyre; Or if injustice, brutishness and wron...